Waste from farms and hotels chocking Lake Naivasha; says Environment ministry

The Ministry has blamed this on unsustainable and uncontrolled use of agricultural lands, chemicals from farmlands and effluents from the hotel industry.

This emerged in Naivasha during the launch of a Ksh.230m project that is meant to restore and rehabilitate the fragile Lake Naivasha Basin Ecosystem.

The three-year project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through WWF-US and executed by National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND) will restore the catchment and riparian lands around the basin.

Speaking during the launch of the project, Environment CS Deborah Barasa termed the basin as critical as it hosts water towers like the Aberdares and the Mau forest.

She noted that the ecosystem was however recording increased challenges including pollution, degradation of wetlands, land and forest ecosystem and loss of biodiversity.

The CS added that most of the challenges were driven by unsustainable and uncontrolled use of agricultural lands, chemicals from farmlands, effluents from the hotel industry and cases of encroachment on riparian areas.

She said if this continues, the country could lose the very important ecosystem services and the government is very concerned about some unsustainable practices, particularly around this lake.

The CS added that the rehabilitation programme would go a long way in addressing the current challenges by improving fish production and agricultural production.

The implementation of the project will deliver key outcomes including improved basin governance, restored forest and wetland ecosystems and sustainable land management.

On his part, Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha said that 80 percent of water flowing into Lake Naivasha came from the Aberdares and hence the need to protect the water tower.

Badilisha noted that the water tower faced various challenges including encroachment, deforestation and degradation terming the project as timely.

She said some of the rivers flowing downstream have been blocked while tens of dams in the basin need to be de-silted.

Samson Toniok, the CEO of NETFUND said that the project would address the challenges both in the upper and lower catchment.

He said some of the outcomes of the programme include restoration and rehabilitation of 1,600ha of forest and supporting 2,700 farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices.

Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones termed the programme a game changer for the ecosystem that had recorded tens of challenges.