1 Freshwater Basin Management: Experiences and Lessons learnt from Implementation of Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) Paper By Christopher M. Nyirabu, Regional Executive Secretary, LVEMP presented at: The Second Global Environment Facility (GEF) Biennial International Waters Conference, September, 2002 Dalian, China

3 Introduction Lake Victoria Basin, has a catchment area of km 2, excluding lake surface water, is shared between:  Kenya (38913 km 2 ), Tanzania (79570 km 2 ), Uganda (28857 km 2 )  Burundi (13060 km 2 ) and Rwanda (20550 km 2 )

4 Introduction (cont) Within this basin lie Lake Victoria, a fresh water resource, and the second largest fresh water in the world.  Has an area of 68,800 km 2 shared between Kenya (6%), Tanzania (51%) and Uganda (43%).  Mean depth of 40m and maximum 84m.  Estimated volume of water of 2750 km 3.

5 Introduction (cont) Lake Victoria Basin supports estimated population of 30 million people in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda The people in the basin are engaged in agricultural production of cash and food crops such as:  Coffee, tea, sugar cane & maize  Fishing & livestock keeping  Small scale mining (in Tanzania)

6 Introduction (cont)  Lake Victoria, on the hand, provides: Fish for food and for sale Water for industrial and domestic use Hydropower generation Transportation corridor between the riparian countries.

7 Introduction (cont) The Lake also serves as a reservoir for disposal for human sewage and industrial effluents in the basin. It is an important biodiversity conservation area as well as a climate moderator for some parts of the riparian countries.

8 Introduction (cont) The gross economic product of the lake basin is estimated to be $4-5 billion annually. Fish yields from the lake alone are estimated at 500,000 tons annually

9 Status of the Lake Victoria Basin Environment Lake Victoria Basin is facing serious environmental threats in the last fifty years caused by:  Increasing human population and therefore socio-economic activities  Mostly, originate from the catchment.

10 Environmental Threats Increasing deterioration of water quality of the lake caused by discharges of untreated sewage effluents as well as pollutants; Eutrophication caused by increased inflow of nutrients into the lake; Degradation of land within the catchment caused by unsustainable/poor agricultural practices.

11 Environmental Threats (cont) Sediments and nutrient loading arising from the catchment  Responsible for the proliferation of water hyacinth as well as algal blooms in Lake Victoria

12 Environmental Threats (cont) Infestation of Lake Victoria with hyacinth (Eichhronia crassipes and Neochetina eichorniae) types. By 1998/99 water hyacinths was estimated to cover 15,000 hacters of the Lake Victoria waters.

13 Environmental Threats (cont) The water hyacinth mates detrimental effects are:  Reduction in fish in the lake through de- oxygenation of water and reduction of nutrients in sheltered bays which are breeding and nursery grounds for fish;  Physical interference with fishing operations;

14 Environmental Threats (cont) Water hyacinth detrimental effects (cont)  Physical interference with commercial transportation;  Provision of breeding habitats schistosomiasis (bilharzias), home for vector mosquitoes for malaria, and a haven for snakes

15 Environmental Threats (cont) Inadequate laws and regulations to facilitate the management of Lake Victoria as a single unit Inadequate extension services as well as enforcement of fisheries legislation; Inadequate environmental data and information. Database of resource conditions available are few, outdated, scattered and incomplete.

16 Intervention measures by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the conservation of Lake Victoria Resources On 5 August 1994, entered into a Tripartite Agreement, which constitutes a framework for action  Identified transboundary water-related environmental concerns  Agreed to adopt a comprehensive approach for addressing the shared transboundary concerns  Agreed on the formulation of the LVEMP

17 THE LAKE VICTORIA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROJECT (LVEMP) A comprehensive environmental program to clean up Lake Victoria and its catchment. Manage the ecosystem in a sustainable manner.

18 Objectives of the LVEMP Maximize the sustainable benefits to riparian from using resources within the basin to generate food, employment and income, supply safe water, and sustain a disease free environment; Conserve biodiversity and genetic resources for the benefit of the riparian communities as well as the global community; Harmonize national management programmes in order to achieve, to the maximum extent possible, the reversal of increasing environmental degradation.

19 LVEMP Implementation Implemented by the Republic of Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda The LVEMP is partly funded by:  GEF (US$35.0m)  IDA (US$35.0m); and  The three riparian countries (US$7.0m).

20 LVEMP Implementation (cont) Through the LVEMP: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda agreed to implement similar environmental activities in the Lake Victoria Basin, in order to:  Reverse the increasing degradation of the LVB resources (waters, wetlands, land, fish, etc)

21 FOCUS ON INTERVENTION The riparian countries have focused their intervention on the:  Control/prevention of pollution of Lake Victoria waters;  Preventing soil erosion of the basin;  Conserving water for increased crop yields and  Tree planting for various uses;

22 FOCUS ON INTERVENTION (CONT) Sustainable Management of wetlands; Management and control of water hyacinth; Improvement and strengthening of fisheries research; Improvement and strengthening of fisheries management; Collection of data and information and analysis in order to understand the dynamics of the Lake Victoria ecosystem.

23 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have instituted the following collaborative arrangements in the implementation of the LVEMP: Set up a joint committee (RPSC) consisting of 9 PS (3 from each country) to supervise Project implementation. Set up a Regional Secretariat based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to coordinate implementation of the Project activities.  Coordinates harmonization of lake wide activities.

24 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Agreed on water quality monitoring standard procedures and established 56-water quality monitoring stations around and in Lake Victoria, which are used for regular water sampling and analysis. Carried out joint consultancies on Intergrated Water Quality and Limnology Studies on Lake Victoria.  Toxic Chemical Oil Spill Contingency Plan for Lake Victoria.

25 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Formulated a joint Water Quality Model for Lake Victoria for various uses. The LVEMP is working on the harmonization of fisheries legislations of the three countries for uniform application on the management of the Lake Victoria resources. Have identified and agreed on 100 fish landing sites for improvement and gazetting. These will ensure the safety of fish handling.

26 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Fisheries Researches from the three countries working for the Project are jointly authoring/editing two books on fish biology on:  Biodiversity of Lake Victoria, its Conservation and Sustainable Use.  The Biology and Ecology of Lake Victoria Fishes; Their Development and Management.

27 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Agreed on the three integrated methods for the management and control of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria (mechanical, manual and biological control agents). The use of these methods have enabled the three countries to reduce water hyacinth infestation on Lake Victoria by about 80% in three years from

28 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Established a joint Regional Water Hyacinth Surveillance System, which ensures a close monitoring and therefore intervention to control the weed. Have involved Rwanda to a limited extent, in the management and control of water hyacinth (most water hyacinth comes from Rwanda through Kagera River).

29 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) Agreed to establish 558 Beach Management Units responsible for:  Managing fish landing beaches all around Lake Victoria (cleanness of the beaches, safety of boats and other property and registration of boats).  Some collect taxes on behalf of the district/municipal authorities.

30 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) The Project is also harmonizing GIS on wetlands using Remote Sensing. There is a sharing of scientific data and information and knowledge on water quality, biodiversity in Lake Victoria, wetlands, agrochemicals, land management, water hyacinth and afforestation.

31 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) The Project is working on the collection, storage, retrieval and sharing of fisheries database and information in Lake Victoria. Carries out awareness campaigns to East African Communities on the need to conserve and use sustainably the resources of Lake Victoria basin.  Through brochures, radio and TV programmes, meetings, seminars/workshops, newspapers.

32 Collaboration in the implementation of the LVEMP (cont) The Project has established a joint website, in which information and data in the three countries is posted and updated regularly.

33 CONCLUSION Although some progress has been made in dealing with a transboundary resource, there is still a need for the three countries to continue addressing threats facing Lake Victoria and its basin. Five years of LVEMP is too short period to tackle successfully, the problems facing the Lake Victoria Basin. It will take a longer period and more resources to solve problems facing Lake Victoria

34 THANK YOU