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4 Mar 2021 ARUSHA, Tanzania

Transboundary Cooperation In The Lake Victoria Basin

The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has urged the Council of Ministers of its parent organisation the East African Community (EAC) to push forward on transboundary harmonisation in respect of the Lake Victoria Basin. A February report on the “On-Spot Assessment of the Lake Victoria Basin” was compiled by the Assembly's Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR)...

21 Feb 2021 KIGALI, Uganda

Lake Victoria's Mysterious Mass Fish-deaths

The governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have reported that within the last 2 months roughly 100 tonnes of fish, mostly of the freshwater species Nile Perch, have died due to unknown causes in Lake Victoria which borders all three countries.The mass deaths of Nile Perch, which are valued at between 10 Million and 15 Million Uganda Shillings (UGX) ($2732 - $4,096 USD) per tonne depending on their weight, has cost the government an estimated $409,840 USD in revenue so far – however, it could potentially become much more...

6 Jul 2020 NAIROBI

Rising Lake Victoria Waters Increase Risk Of Human-Wildlife Conflict

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is facing a big dilemma on whether to relocate hundreds of wildlife from Ndere Island National Park, as rising waters in Lake Victoria threaten the existence of the protected tourist site.

14 Jan 2020 SYDNEY, Australia

Australia Bushfires And The Threat to Drinking Water, Ecosystems

Devastating ongoing bushfires in Australia threaten to wreak havoc on water resources as ecologists warn that resultant algae blossoms threaten freshwater ecosystems and diminish the quality of drinking water. Australian wildfires have burned as much as 26 Million acres of land.Burned catchment areas are increasing the level of mercury in lakes and water reserves as burnt sediment is now travelling into them...

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16 Dec 2019 EDINBURGH

Spike In Methane Emissions From South Sudan Wetlands Detected

Scientists think they can now explain at least part of the recent growth in methane (CH4) levels in the atmosphere. Researchers, led from Edinburgh University, UK, say their studies point to a big jump in emissions coming from just the wetlands of South Sudan. Satellite data indicates the region received a large surge of water from East African lakes, including Victoria.

15 Dec 2019 HARARE, Zimbabwe

Drought "Dries Up" Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba Shrinks. Transnational Power Supply Solutions Sought

Lack of rain in Zambia and Zimbabwe has left the area in a prolonged drought, drastically reducing flow at the iconic Victoria Falls, shrinking Lake Kariba, affecting tourism, threatening the livelihood of regional farmers, and causing power outages.South Africa utility Eskom seems set to enter into contracts to supply power to Zimbabwe and Zambia to help the shortfall in hydropower output - but only if it is available...

13 Aug 2019 DODOMA

Tanzania Looks To Lake Victoria For Fresh Drinking Water Supply

The Tanzanian government intends to escalate drinking water projects around the south shore of the Lake Victoria in the coming years, as it progressively abandons the use of groundwater to pump fresh water into Lake Victoria. “We are working on a new plan to ensure that villages near water sources like Victoria get water directly from the lakes rather than spending more money on wells,” says Jumaa Awesso, Tanzania’s deputy water minister.

8 May 2019 ANTWERP, Belgium

Hippo Poop Crisis

The health of Lake Victoria's ecosystem in East Africa is under an increasing threat attributed to the decline in hippopotamus populations. A 20 percent decline in population due to poaching, habitat loss, and human conflict has been recorded between 1996 and 2004 and this reduction is expected to continue for the next 50 to 60 years with an estimated further reduction of another 30 percent...

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21 Jan 2019 KISUMU, Kenya

Progress In Lake Victoria Water Hyacinth Clearance

The multilateral Lake Victoria Environmental Management Program (LVEMP) has taken possession of a second harvester designed to clear endemic, invasive water hyacinth in preparation for planned dredging and desiltation in most of the Lake's ports.The clearance project, to be launched by African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga, seeks to open up Winam Gulf which has been invaded by the weed, extending to Homa Bay County, Kenya...

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3 Nov 2018 NAIROBI

Harvesting Machine Lies Idle As Hyacinth Weed Continues To Choke Lake Victoria

The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project bought a hyacinth harvester at Sh80 million to clear the weed from the lake in 2015. Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Integration and Northern Corridor Development on Tuesday said they want Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko to explain why the machine has stalled at the Kisumu inland port...

1 Aug 2017 ENTEBBE

Scientists Raise Concerns Over Lake Victoria Pollution

Increased pollution is threatening the sustainable use of Lake Victoria, a vital resource for the East African region. Speaking at a conference on population, health and environment, scientists said increasing population, declining fish stocks and weeds, among others, have made matters worse for the ecosystem of Africa's fresh water lake...

7 Nov 2016 NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenyan Opposition Leader Accuses Government of Fraud in Itare Dam Project

Kenyan opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has accused the current government of forging documents to make it appear that it has support from local residents for the $332 million USD Itare Dam project in the Kuresoi area of Kericho County.The project includes construction of the dam, a tunnel, and a raw water treatment plant with a capacity of 100,000 cubic meters per day, as well as laying of pipes...

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