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Lives put at risk as algae invades Lake Victoria
A section of Lake Victoria showing the algae spread. Photo by Martin Ssebuyira
What you need to know:
Environment check. The algae endangers lives of communities surrounding the lake and the aquatic animals.
Parts of Lake Victoria shores have been invaded by a thick algae, posing health risks to water users and aquatic animals.
The algae has caused a sickening stench in Luzira, Ggaba, Munyonyo, Guda and Bukakata landing sites among others.
The fishermen, who refer to the chlorophyll substance as ‘Mubiru’, attribute the algae infection to a process where the lake gets rid of any affluent dumped into it naturally.
“It occurs every January and February between 7am-2pm as the lake dumps its waste on the lake shores,” Mr Isaac Mutimba, a fisherman in Entebbe, said.
Pollution cited
The National Environment management Authority (NEMA), however, attributes it to increasing pollution of the largest water body in the country.
“The algae mass, which looks like green oil paint on the lake surface, is a result of increased pollution from human disposal and industrial waste,” Ms Naomi Karekaho, the NEMA spokesperson, said in an email to this newspaper.
She said the waste water from the city, which flows into the lake through the Nakivubo Channel, has overtime made the lake more polluted.
“This has a negative impact on the fish industry since it leads to silting up of the breeding grounds for fish,” she added.
Ms Karekaho said the ongoing process of gazetting Nakivubo wetland system for water purification needs to be finalised and enforced and the similar process be undertaken for the Nsooba – Lubigi wetland system to help sieve water before it reaches the lake.
She adds that the long-term interventions would be to resettle people from the flood-prone areas and safe-guard the natural drain pattern of the City.
“There should be plans for the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant. The sources of silt such as roads and built up areas should be stabilised and Physical planning should be improved and enforced,” Ms Karekaho said.
State Minister for Water Betty Bigombe declined to comment on the matter, saying she had lost a niece and referred this newspaper to the commissioner Water Quality in the department of Directorate of Water Resources Management, Ms Florence Adong.
Ms Adong as well declined to comment, saying she was on leave and did not have much information about the development.
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