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105
The natural resource-rich Lake Victoria Basin is prone
to small and large-scale, systemic environmental
degradation, including, but not limited to, soil erosion,
deforestation, water pollution and loss of biodiversity.
The challenges affecting the Basin require basin-wide,
coordinated management approaches, including land
restoration initiatives and integrated water resources
management.
Much of the current and planned interventions for
the Lake Victoria Basin work at the interface between
land and water management; this includes activities
that focus on the monitoring of changes in water
quality due to sediment and nutrient deposition,
while also paying attention to the management of
the whole catchment area. While acknowledging the
need for basin-wide solutions, it is also important to
note that some of the challenges faced by the Lake
Victoria Basin are local, and therefore need local
solutions. For example, heavy metal pollution, through
copper, mercury, lead and cadmium contamination, is
concentrated in sediments found in the Mwanza Gulf
and, therefore, appropriate actions need to target these
particular areas.
Wetlands, which are important for food production,
hydrological stability and ecological productivity,
continue to be degraded. Shallow wetlands are
particularly vulnerable as they are used for the intensive
cultivation of crops such as sugarcane, sweet potatoes
and yams; or excavated for sand and clay for brick
moulding. Protection and reclamation efforts through
national laws and designation as Ramsar sites are slow.
The water hyacinth is the most prominent waterweed
in the Lake Victoria Basin; the weed is often blamed
for hindering navigation and transport, hydropower
schemes and fishing. Efforts to control the weed
through mechanical and biological means have
produced mixed results and, in many cases, the weed
has been able to quickly re-establish itself.
The introduction of the Nile perch – while considered
to be a commercial success as a result of a marked
increase in export proceeds – is blamed for the loss
of close to 200 fish species in Lake Victoria (Kayombo
and Jorgensen 2006). It is also blamed for local protein
malnutrition as the rising prices have meant that locals
can no longer afford to buy.
The institutional arrangements for the management
of Lake Victoria are now geared up for the sustainable
management of the environmental resources of the
Lake Basin through a range of programmes, including
the Lake Victoria Environmental Management
Programme. Both the Lake Victoria Basin Commission
and the East African Community provide the basin-
wide forum for the general management of the basin.
Conclusion
Small scale fishing provides the much needed protein to the local household food mix