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Protect Lake Victoria through Green Economy, Public Participation and Good Governance Hongtao Wang,† Tao Wang,† Brahima Toure,† and Fengting Li†,* †
UNEP-TONGJI Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, 200092 Kisumu in Kenya. In most of these areas, there are no sanitation systems due to lack of financial resources. In addition, to support the local residents, more and more industries and agricultural activities have been developed in these areas. A lack of investment and applicable wastewater treatment technologies have resulted in most of the industrial effluent discharging into the Lake without sufficient treatment. On one hand, many outdated, small factories are booming along the Lake, which is inevitably producing heavy pollutants; on the other hand, current available aerobic treatment technologies, such as activated sludge or biofilm, seem to be expensive in these areas. In addition, chemical treatment processes are also inappropriate in most of these areas due to limited chemical availability and affordability. Although the government is trying to control the industrial wastewater discharge, it is still a difficult task for the management of illegal discharge. Among the water pollution problems in Lake Victoria, eutrophication is one of the key issues.3 Figure 1 shows the eutrophication of the Lake Victoria in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. It can be seen in the Port Bell area, which is close to ith a surface area of approximately 68 600 km2 and an the Murchison Bay, eutrophication is very serious. The water is average depth of 40 m, Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest 1 characterized by yellow and green color, oil and algae bloom lake and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. (the left picture). In contrast, in the Source of the Nile area, the Unfortunately, the water quality in Lake Victoria has been 1 water quality is much better (the right picture). The Port Bell is seriously degraded over the past few decades. The main one of the main discharging points, where most wastewater is sources of pollution include discharge of domestic wastewater, flowing into the lake. The crooked and narrow shoreline of the industrial waste, as well as agricultural runoff. Poor governance Murchison Bay results in slow water flow. This provides and low levels of public awareness are accelerating the conditions for the blooming of algae in this area. The pollution. eutrophication is a disaster for the local residents, which not Located in the East African Plateau, Lake Victoria is shared only ruins their health, but also reduces their income. Sadly, by three countries: Kenya (6%), Uganda (45%), and Tanzania 2 many local people are not aware of the true reason of the (49%). With sufficient water resources, comfortable climate eutrophication. and flat topography, the surrounding area of Lake Victoria is 1 In consideration of the significant role of Lake Victoria, it is one of the three heaviest populated regions in the Nile Basin. time to take substantial measures to protect the lake. First, it is It was estimated that 35 million people were living within 100 necessary to reduce the consumption of resources and to km of Lake Victoria in 2010.1 Lake Victoria is important for minimize the production of effluent. Manufacturers generating Africans. It provides fresh water for drinking, irrigation, and heavy pollutants should be restricted around the lake. The industrial development. As Africa’s largest inland fishery and 1 consumption of fertilizers and detergents containing phosphate world famous scenic spot, Lake Victoria is a main source of should be reduced. This relies on applicable technologies for income for the local people. Lake Victoria also makes it possible the high-efficient agricultural activities and cleaner industrial to cultivate different cash crops, such as cotton, paddy rice, and production. Second, education is important in order to make sugar cane. the public aware of the importance of protecting the lake. In The water quality of Lake Victoria is of international consideration of millions of residents along Lake Victoria importance not only for Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, but also catchment, it is impossible for pollution control without for other countries along the Nile River. This is due to the fact that it is the main source of water to the White Nile. The domestic wastewater has been rising as a result of rapid Received: August 21, 2012 urbanization and expanding populations. Many cities and towns Revised: September 3, 2012 are sprawling along the shores of Lake Victoria, such as Jinja, Accepted: September 7, 2012 Published: September 18, 2012 Entebbe, and Kampala in Uganda, Mwanza in Tanzania, and
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© 2012 American Chemical Society
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/es303387v | Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46, 10483−10484
Environmental Science & Technology
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Figure 1. Pollution of Lake Victoria (Left picture: eutrophication of Port Bell; right Picture: clean water of the Source of the Nile).
We thank Miss Amanda McDonald for her assistance with manuscript proofreading. We acknowledge the valuable comments provided by the editor.
participation and contribution from the public from relative countries. Last but not least, good governance is absolutely significant. The government has to figure out a comprehensive way to establish and implement strict rules and regulations for the control of wastewater. Master planning of cities and towns along the shores of Lake Victoria should be carefully schemed. An integrated management mechanism should be established to coordinate the water resource consumption and wastewater discharge from Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. However, for the time being, the key task is to find financial resources. Although many international organizations such as UN-Habitat have provided aid,4 it should be noted that a sustainable way of water quality improvement in Lake Victoria needs comprehensive financial resources from governments, nongovernment organizations and private sectors. According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a key element to ensure environmental sustainability.5 The protection of Lake Victoria is closely related to the realization of the MDGs in East Africa.
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REFERENCES
(1) UNEP. Africa Water Atlas; UNEP: Nairobi, 2010. (2) Odada, E. O.; Olago, D. O.; Kulindwa, K. A. A.; Ntiba, M.; Wandiga, S. Mitigation of environmental problems in Lake Victoria, East Africa: Causal chain and policy options analyses. Ambio 2004, 33 (1−2), 13−23. (3) UNEP. Green Hills, Blue Cities: An Ecosystems Approach to Water Resources Management for African Cities. A Rapid Response Assessment; UNEP: Nairobi, 2011. (4) Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative. http:// www.unhabitat.org/categories.asp?catid=462 (accessed August 19,2012). (5) Schnoor, J. L. The most important promise ever made. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 45 (1), 1−1.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*Phone: +86(0)21-65980567; e-mail:
[email protected]. Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study is part of the Africa-China Cooperation Program on Environment, which is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) and coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was supported in part by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse Foundation (NO. PCRRY11011). 10484
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