Lake Victoria (Nyanza as called by local people) is second biggest Lake in world and father to Egyptian riches, 40 years ago it had over 320 old fish species; now it possesses only eight species1 It’s basin is potentially riches region in East Africa and occupied by so poor people, it’s environment in such deep criss1 Why?

The Lake’s resource wealth is further increased by fact that its soils are among most fertile in East Africa. The varied and rich cultures of its peoples, its breath taking scenery and abundant wildlife and thorough vastness of Lake make it potentially a prime tourism destination.

Factor in region’s capacity for agricultural variety output, industry, hydro- electricity, gold and other mineral deposit in such places as Tarime, Serengeti, Musoma, Geita and Kahama in Tanzania, and Macalder in Kenya. And again, you are looking at richest region in East Africa. Yet, The people of this great Lake; Luo, sukuma, Haya, Baganda etc. are among poorest in world. Official statistics put poverty level at an average of 49% of East African population. Malnutrition is wider spread, high child mortality, protein deficiency in this protein rich Zone. Add to this, economy, social and environmental cost of deadly HIV/AIDS, whose incidence in Lake world and a stern picture begins to look very sad.

There are many activities taking place daily in and around lake: agriculture, Fishing, Irrigation, Mining etc. But all in vain! The people remain poor amid all riches; they are yet to enjoy fruits of being granted with this golden prize. Most are blaming their governments for not implementing effective strategies towards basin development.

Waste in Lake Victoria basin is a two-way highway. *Flowing down into Lake is waste and high population generated upstream and taken through by twenty big feeder rivers (10 in Kenya, 6 in Tanzania and 4 in Uganda). All these and other smaller ones drain their contents into Lake, taking with them same severe disease. Untreated sewage from municipalities, rural towns and village, toxic effluent from industries and sediments (which is carried in huge tonnage daily)

All East African countries are major contributor to lake pollution but are doing least about it. Because of lack of sewer, treatment works; largely unregulated agro industries dump untreated effluent into rivers or direct into Lake. Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers find their way into Lake without forgetting entire weight of village’s waste, which also rolls down into rivers ending their journey into our precious Lake. And to crown it all, water from lakes is used directly for-domestic consumption.

The fish species have disappeared due to quality of water in Lake and around shoreline, where most of Fish would breed in littoral zone. The water hyacinth, which was first noticed in late 1980’s, has also been a big threat. And other reason is introduction of Nile Perch (the vocacious carnivore).

*Leaving basin, flows regions wealth; for all of it’s problems, however, lake basin also contains immerse natural wealth. It sustains largest fresh water fisheries in world. It’s waters are rich fishing grounds, so rich in fact that agents of various foreign owned fish processing companies riding daily in fleets with truckloads of lakes wealth. Landing points are always overcrowded with incoming trucks, leaving contented. On each departure, their trucks are taken with lakes harvest, belching smokes and fumes of dead fish. Of huge tonnage from points around, local residents are left with dried skeletons of processed fish for their meals; eating fish by lake is luxury! There is a lot of money going out leaving fishermen poor; they sell their catch at throwaway prices because they cannot store it. (Their prices go as down as USD 0.25 per Kg which fetches USD 6 in Nairobi/Mwanza markets after being processed into fillet and at least fetches twice on international markets).

Author: Arthur Zulu Contact Author: mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com Copyright: Copyright © Arthur Zulu 2002 Word Count: 632 Web Address: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975

Publishing Guidelines: Permission is granted to publish this article electronically or in print as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

WILL GLOBAL WARMING CAUSE ANOTHER NOAH’S FLOOD?

By Arthur Zulu

Man is a very clever animal. For example, he is only one who knows that world will end someday, and worries about it. And he is only creature that can create anything out of a useless thing like ice.

Now, let’s imagine ourselves in a man-made ice theater-- floor, roof, and all. We are sitting on chairs made of ice; drinking beer from glasses (made of ice of course), and we are about to watch a play.

What is play about? The actor, (of course flesh and blood) is going to enter into a mighty cooking pot made of ice. Then he will be covered; and giant ice cooking pot, suspended by equally giant tripods (made of ice too), is to be heated by a gigantic fire.

As we spectators watch to see what happens to actor, we observe that first, iced floor begins to crack as a result of fire. Then pot begins to melt, and before we know it, ice-made glasses on our hands, also begin to melt as a result of heat.

Suddenly, roof of heated ice theater begins to give way and collapse on our heads, and before long, we find ourselves swimming in an ocean of water. So, we spectators become actors; and birds and all sorts of flying things, become spectators!

But wait. This is not a play. It is real, and very soon where once used to be our houses, might well become an ocean, and we all will be swimming for our lives! And if you live in a coastal city, say New York, London, or Cape Town; you had better start making your ark for another Noah’s flood. But how, you may ask, will this come about?

Over decades, man has turned up global thermostat through emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. This has caused climatic upheavals (heavy rain, drought, superkiller winds), and health hazard (skin cancer).