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Kisumu
is the main city of western Kenya, with direct access to Lake Victoria through the Winam Gulf.
Formerly called Port Florence, Kisumu is accessible to the rest of the world through an international
airport, as well by boat. The city has a population of half a million people.
Water pollution is a major environmental problem around the city. Sources of the pollution include
industry, especially sugar processing. Car washing and domestic effluent are other sources of pollution into
the Lake. About 10 per cent of households in Kisumu are connected to the sewer system, resulting in the
discharge of raw sewage into the Lake.
The impact of the high levels of pollution around major settlements such as Kisumu includes eutrophication
and the proliferation of water weeds such as the water hyacinth (Mdegela et al. 2014).