Water Health Educator
Water Health Educator
Promoting advocacy for access to clean water
Issues Africa: Kenya Study
The Environmental and Socio-Economic challenges of Lake Victoria
By Nora Rideg
Lake Victoria is the world's largest tropical lake and the largest lake in the African Great Lakes region, is bordered by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It was formed about 400,000 years ago and lies 1,134 m above sea level. The lake was named after Queen Victoria by the explorer John Hanning Speke. The lake had been a part of local legend long before Speke discovered it in 1858. Lake Victoria is a vital water resource for the region, supporting the largest freshwater fishery in the world, producing 1 million tons of fish per year and employing 200,000 people to support the livelihoods of 4 million people. Before the 1960s, the lake had a high fish species diversity of more than 500 fish species, mostly local cichlids, carps, and minnows, but these were reduced to less than 300 species after the Nile perch was introduced, which caused a decreased water clarity. Despite its beauty and importance, Lake Victoria faces significant economic and environmental challenges, including pollution and eutrophication, which threaten its ecological balance and the communities.
Environmental pollution is a major problem that causes water quality degradation and health risks to local communities and aquatic life. Water pollution is a serious issue, associated with the region's demographic and socioeconomic dynamics in Lake Victoria. Several factors contribute to pollution, including rapid population growth, economic development, high population density, and poverty. In Kenya, the population density in parts of the Lake Victoria region reaches approximately 320 people per square kilometer. This high population density shows that many people live in a relatively small area, leading to greater environmental pressure and pollution due to increased human activity and land use. Changes in land use, primarily from agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization, have degraded water supplies. Urban centers along the lake, such as Kisumu, Homa Bay, Mwanza, and Jinja, contribute significantly to pollution through untreated industrial effluents, raw sewage, and agricultural runoff . There are various pollutants in the lake, including factory effluents, oil, grease, and untreated sewage, which negatively impact water quality and pose health risks to local communities.
The primary sources of pollution are sediment from land degradation and erosion, waste from artisanal gold mining and aquaculture, and municipal and industrial waste. The pollution leads to eutrophication, which increases biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and contamination with heavy metals and fecal bacteria. The environmental consequences are significant, including the destruction of wetlands, the proliferation of invasive species like water hyacinths. Eutrophication caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus influx from agricultural runoff and urban sewage, poses a serious threat to Lake Victoria's ecosystem. This nutrient overload fuels rapid algae and aquatic plant growth, leading to harmful algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels in the water, resulting in hypoxic conditions dangerous to fish stocks. Eutrophication can be effectively controlled by addressing its root causes through sustainable land use practices, improved waste management, and stricter regulations to safeguard Lake Victoria's ecological balance and the surrounding watershed.
Lake Victoria's economy heavily depends on its fishing industry, which provides major income to local communities and significantly impacts international trade, particularly Nile perch. However, the lake faces severe ecological challenges that threaten its economic viability. Even though phytoplankton productivity has doubled, efficient fish production has not followed, mainly due to increased algal biomass caused by nutrient pollution. This pollution has reduced water transparency and caused significant habitat loss for many endemic fish species, including Oreochromis esculentus and O. variabilis, which have almost disappeared. The shift towards export-oriented fishing for Nile perch has made fish more expensive locally and less accessible for local consumers, increasing food insecurity. Additionally, water hyacinth growth hinders breeding grounds and reduces habitat availability due to low oxygen levels, further decreasing fish stocks. Consequently, these ecological changes have strained the economic stability of local fishing communities, leading to reduced profit margins for fishermen, higher infrastructure costs, and a declining local fish market. Also, overfishing and pollution worsen these problems, leading to a 33% decline in fish stocks within a single year and subsequent economic losses for communities heavily reliant on lake fisheries.
The degradation of water quality in Lake Victoria is mainly due to eutrophication, which has significant impacts on humans and biodiversity. The presence of pathogenic organisms in polluted water poses significant health risks to those relying on the lake for drinking water and other domestic uses, leading to outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and bilharzia, particularly impacting vulnerable populations like women and children. Also, fecal bacteria contamination and pesticide residues at beach landing sites are further affected by inadequate fecal waste disposal and inadequate toilet facilities. In addition, not only human health is impacted by the polluted water, but also it affects biodiversity loss. The increased algal biomass in the lake, caused by high levels of primary production, has led to a significant reduction in water transparency, loss of biodiversity and has impacted human health by consuming contaminated fish. Water hyacinth and algal blooms exacerbate the issue by deoxygenating deep water, leading to fish mortality by blocking waterways. Alien fish species like Nile perch have also affected the lake's ecosystem, causing endemic species to decline and further reducing biodiversity.
Using innovative solutions can help improve Lake Victoria's water quality, and address pollution, eutrophication, and biodiversity loss. Comprehensive waste management for the Lake Victoria Basin includes reducing industrial pollution, building grey-green infrastructure, improving sanitation services, and monitoring water quality. Innovative sanitation solutions, such as reusing treated wastewater in agriculture, can help address public health and environmental challenges by providing natural fertilizers and mitigating unsustainable agricultural practices. Setting up Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) to treat waste from septic tanks and pit latrines will thus be a necessary part of sanitation investments in hotspots such as Winam Gulf (Kisumu, Kenya), Inner Murchison Bay (Kampala, Uganda). Green technology options, like constructed wetlands, are effective for treating wastewater. Public-private partnerships can improve solid waste management, and a mix of support and regulations can help industries reduce pollution. Inclusive sanitation ensures everyone, especially the poor, benefits from safe sanitation. Investments in both large infrastructure and community projects are necessary to improve waste management and the health and livelihoods of the people in the Lake Victoria Basin.
References:
Angweya, R., Okungu, J., Abuodha, J. O. Z., & Hecky, R. E. (2005). Environmental impacts of water quality change on beneficial uses of Lake Victoria. https://aquadocs.org/bitstream/handle/1834/7138/ktf0101.pdf?sequence=1
Juma, D. W., Wang, H., & Li, F. (2014). Impacts of population growth and economic development on water quality of a lake: Case study of Lake Victoria Kenya water. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 21(8), 5737–5746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2524-5
Kayombo, S., & Jorgensen, S. E. (2006). Lake Victoria. Experience and lessons learned brief, 431-446.
Lake victoria: Brilliant Uganda. Brilliant Uganda. (2014). https://www.brilliant-uganda.com/lake-victoria
Miriti, E. A. K., & Czerniak, B. Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria | AGLI. https://www.africangreatlakesinform.org/article/lake-victoria
The World Bank. (2022, June). Improving water quality in Lake Victoria Basin. https://www.ciwaprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/CIWA-LVB-Learning-Note-2.pdf
The Causes of Clean Water Shortage and their
Effects on Kenyans
by Camtran Huynh
(c) photos on this page by Sarah White
Water Scarcity in Kenya
by Shannyn Snyder
Kenya’s people are, according to the United Nations, one of the most struggling populations in the world. With a population of approximately 36.6 million and an annual population growth of approximately 2.6%, the country’s poverty index has also continued to steadily rise.
Water scarcity in Kenya has been an issue for decades, as only a small percentage of the country’s land is optimal for agriculture, and the year-round climate is predominantly arid. A recent natural disaster also caused major soil degradation and refugee displacement throughout the country.
Kenya’s natural water resources also do not provide an equitable delivery of water to the various regions of the country and the country’s water basins do not reach an equitable area of the country. This leaves most of the population without any fresh water. Rapid urbanization has also pushed poor urban dwellers to the slums, where there is no water or sanitation, and overcrowding exacerbates the already hazardous health conditions.
Kenya’s water politics are also unique, as there has been a divide between areas that have been privatized and sectors where investors have been discouraged from developing. At a time when water privatization is seen as a negative in developing countries because of the high costs that are passed along to the impoverished, lack of development here means a lack of piping, sanitation or tanker service. Rural areas of Kenya are left without water and urban areas aren’t much better off, as Kenya’s virtually bankrupt government does not have the funds to run pumping stations and existing piping systems are often pirated and in disrepair.
Kenya’s water shortage also means that a large population of women and children spend up to one-third of their day fetching water in the hot sun from the nearest fresh water source. This backbreaking work leaves roughly half of the country’s inhabitants vulnerable to serious dangers. In addition to exposure to the elements and risk of attack by predators, the primary water gatherers are also the most susceptible to water-borne diseases.
Water pathogens are a huge health problem in Kenya, as the people have been left unprotected against sporadic epidemics such as cholera and parasitic worms. The rate of exposure is extremely high because the water is not only contaminated at the basins and pumps where water is collected but the containers are almost always “found,” second-hand objects, often previously used for oil, fertilizer or wastes.
Fortunately, there are a number of organizations that are picking up the slack of Kenya’s government, providing health care services and water solutions. Since the crisis is so widespread, however, there is much to be done. There are some effective interim solutions, though, and communities hoping for a new well would benefit from proactive education about water filtration to make their current water supplies work as best as possible, for now. The National Science Foundation has shown that simply straining water through a cloth can effectively reduce pathogens, including the bacterium that causes cholera, and rain harvesting techniques can benefit families and small communities hoping to use a dedicated water source for agriculture.
Water Insecurities in Kenya
By Hem Lata Shrestha
Living in a developed country, sometimes we forget what it is like to spend a day without food and drink. Can you imagine living in a place where you have to walk miles and miles for drinking water and still the quality of water is questionable? Such is a situation in developing countries in the Horn of Africa. Due to ongoing dry rainy season and drought as a result of it, people in Africa are traveling miles and miles to get water for family but still unsuccessful.
Water has been a valuable asset for the community. Water is used for various daily activities including drinking, irrigation, and different daily chores such as bathing, washing and keeping up with health hygiene. Due to no rain, farmers in Africa are leaving their homes because nothing can be grown in dry and arid area. Out of only few percent of irrigable land, people are not even being able to put to use because of lack of rain and water. When land is non irrigable, no crops can be grown and all the herds that farmers rely on die as well. Not only animals but also the young kids and old people are severely malnourished and die because of it. The countries such as Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea which are in the Horn of Africa are critical call for “Food Insecurity”.
According to FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), food insecurity is defined as “Exists when people lack access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food, and therefore are not consuming enough for an active and healthy life. This may be due to the unavailability of food, inadequate purchasing power, or inappropriate utilization at household level.” According to FAO, in 2010 about 239 million experienced hungers in Sub Saharan Africa and every year the number is increasing rapidly. Some of the consequences of the drought are family separation in search of water and food, higher competition for the available food and resources due to influx of new people from other famine countries, loss of man power and resources.
In order to help these populations deal with the famine, different national and international organizations are getting together and providing food, water, sanitation and other basic needs for the survival. One such humanitarian act is Dadaab Refugees Camps in Kenya which is the world’s largest refugee camp designed for 90,000 people but at present due to increase in number of people, it has almost 400,000 people in three camps and the numbers are increasing drastically. Since 1992, the camp has been run by CARE to provide basic services such as food, water and sanitation. Along with the CARE, organization such as UNICEF, WFO, FAO and other many organization are working together.
The Dadaab Refugee Camp is already overcrowded with low resources and high demand. With the massive influx of people from other neighboring countries especially Somalia, Ethiopia, the situation has been worse. Somalians travel miles and miles with a high hope of making thier living in the camp, but the place is so crowded that people are building tents and using the given sources. Some of the problem seen are sharing 20 people per latrine which is only 5m deep, and on top of that people are using open field for defecation which are unhygienic. The open defecation and the increase in refugees welcomes the increase in the rate of transmission of communicable diseases. There has already been 42 cases of measles and one death in the Dadaab camping site. Along with malnutrition, communicable disease has been another rising problem in the area. Different organizations are working together in providing food, water and vaccination and also build another refugee camp to meet the increasing demand. hemshrestha19@gmail.com