Omiti and I have been great buddies since our days as undergrad students at Maseno University where we both studied Environment Science. Having not set eyes on one another for close to four years since our graduation, this meeting was one of a kind and had to be treated as that.
So we met and I suggested we go have some fish delicacy at Lwang'ni beach, but my friend being a resident of Kisumu hinted to me that Lwang'ni is no longer what it used to be and that if we were still to go that way we'd rather pick on Tilapia beach (a lake shore bar cum restaurant not far away from Lwang'ni).
In no minute we had a deal. And with all the excitement, we jumped into a tuk tuk(Auto Rickshaw) and headed straight to Tilapia beach. Life was beaming at the beach. My friend had brought along two of his girl friends. We had great time. The fish was as delicious as ever.
However, in the midst of all the joy and entertainment, something struck my heart. The sight of a Lake covered under a mat of Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) and hippo grass (Vossia cuspidata). A sight foreigners or first time visitors would not find appalling. But because I did my undergrad around the Lake and we used to come for fish delicacies along Lwang'ni beach, I knew what the Lake shore used to be like. And seeing the same shore, about four years down the line, in the state we found it on this very day was really something perplexing, at least for me.
I found it hard to believe that I went to the Lake but never set my eyes on its water. Not that the Lake is dry, but because the section of the shore where we were was all covered in thick mat of water hyacinth spreading to about 800 meters into the Lake. Of this, about 200 meters from the shore into the Lake was covered by a mixture of hippo grass and Water hyacinth (that seemed to whither).
Water hyacinth floats on water but hippo grass doesn't. Hippo grass grows on soil and depends on its roots to take up nutrients from the soil, usually on the shallow bed of a wetland, for its survival. This in my opinion may explain why the hippo grass flourished only up to about 200 meters into the shore and also why the Water hyacinth seemed to whither as they approached the shore covered in hippo grass.
About eight years ago, and my friend as well as local residents can confirm this, there were lots of recreational activities around Lwang'ni beach. These included boat rides for kids who usually came with their families to appreciate the beauty and serenity that the Lake environment offered. One can no longer find such services around Lwang'ni beach because it is all hippo grass and Water hyacinth. One would mistake it for a large sugarcane plantation.
As an Environmentalist with knowledge of freshwater ecology, when I saw the acreage of hippo grass and Water hyacinth that had covered the Lake, two things became apparent to me. One was that the Lake has become disturbingly shallow. And two, that the Lake is excessively fertile (read high nitrogen and phosphorus levels).
As an Environmentalist with knowledge of freshwater ecology, when I saw the acreage of hippo grass and Water hyacinth that had covered the Lake, two things became apparent to me. One was that the Lake has become disturbingly shallow. And two, that the Lake is excessively fertile (read high nitrogen and phosphorus levels).
Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water Lake in Africa and the second largest in the World after Lake Superior in Northern United States of America. It is also the largest tropical Lake in the World.
The Lake is fed by several major rivers across the east African region. Some of which are River Kagera, River Yala, River Nzoia, River Sondu-Miriu and River Nyando.
All these Rivers originate from East Africa's highland regions which are beaming with agricultural activities. The fertilizer used in these agricultural plantations find its way into the streams as leachate and are eventually deposited in the Lake. It is this fertilizer that enriches the Lake and makes it conducive for the survival of the Water hyacinth.
Other sources of Lake fertilization may include faulty sewage treatment plant(s) which empty raw or semi-treated sewage into the Lake, and small time pollution by the restaurants/fish kiosks dotting the Lake's shore among others.
Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) I, a World Bank funded project aimed at achieving sustainable management of Lake Victoria's ecosystem and implemented by the three East African states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania was initiated in 1992. Tackling the Water hyacinth menace was top on the agenda. Methods employed included both biological and mechanical interventions.
By the time LVEMP I was wrapping up in 2005, the total acreage of Water hyacinth mat covering the Lake had been substantially reduced. Uganda and Tanzania had achieved the greatest reduction, while Kenya had the least achievement. This may partly explain why Water hyacinth is still a great threat to fishing and transportation in Kenya's Lake Victoria and by extension a threat to the livelihood of the Lake's riparian communities.
In a discussion with my friend, who is at the moment pursuing a Master degree in Environmental Science at our alma mater, he informed me that LVEMP phase II is underway. We all hope there'll be something to show for it once it goes full cycle and that it wont be riddled with embezzlement of funds like its predecessor, at least in the Kenyan case.
Other than LVEMP, several other interventions have been brought forth in an attempt to solve the puzzle that is Water hyacinth. These have ranged from manual removal of the weed from the lake shores by riparian communities to exploitation for other economic purposes like basketry and making of furniture.
Despite all these attempts the water hyacinth menace has remained persistent over the years.
It is my considered opinion that the situation has remained the same all this while because of several reasons but most importantly because of wrong approach taken in tackling the problem. All intervention measures taken so far have tended to tackle the symptoms of the problem while completely giving leap service to the real culprit i.e. the cause(s).
The main reason why the Water hyacinth and hippo grass are flourishing at the levels they are now, is because the Lake water is highly fertile and immensely sedimented.
Therefore, any attempt to address the Water hyacinth/hippo grass menace, if it is to be successful, should aim at first tackling the phenomenon that is Lake fertility and sedimentation. It is only when these two are properly addressed that the menace will be put under full control.
It is worth pointing out that Water hyacinth and hippo grass are not a "curse" to the Lake. As a matter of fact, the two weeds are a blessing in disguise which we need to embrace while tackling the real problems that include deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and pollution.
On that warm Sunday afternoon, when I set my eyes on the Lake choking in large acreage of Water hyacinth mats and hippo grass, for a moment there my heartbeat rate slowed down. The Lake seemed to converse with me. It seemed to be telling me that "hey there...they (water hyacinth and hippo grass) are not my problem. In fact, they are my best friends as they are removing the toxins that your kind (humans) has forced down my throat. Your kind is my greatest enemy."
