This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
Published on June 10, 2020, Lake Naivasha has been experiencing a sharp rise in water levels, leading to flooding of flower farms, hotels, and estates.
According to experts, the fresh water lake is becoming shallower at a rate of three centimeters every year due to sediments from the catchment area and ongoing projects being swept in.
The lake levels have risen to the highest levels ever at 1892.8m above sea level since 1906, when it stood at 1892m ASL.
Speaking to the press, Silas Wanjala, the secretary of the Lake Naivasha Riparian Association (LNRA), noted that the water body was one of the most erratic in the region.
He attributed the current flooding to those affected having encroached into the riparian land and constructed permanent structures, terming the crisis as self-made.
"The flooding has been caused by the high amounts of silt being washed into the lake, making it shallower and flooding nearby farms and Kihoto estate," Wanjala said.
Wanjala warned that the high siltation had affected the quality of water in the lake and put the fisheries sector, which employed hundreds, at risk.
Paul Ruoya, the chairman of the Lake Naivasha Basin Landscape Association (LANABLA), noted that run-off from Eburru and Aberdare forests had contributed to the silt leading to the rise in water levels.
He emphasized the need to stop farming on riparian land, as this had seen the papyrus weed, which sieved any water into the lake, destroyed.
"This lake is very crucial to the economy of this country, and there is a need to protect it through sustainable farming in the catchment area and controlled fishing," Ruoya said.
He added that this could be done through an increase in budgetary allocation to environmental conservation and education for those around the lake.
The CEO of Crayfish Hotel, Peter Mehta, said that the rise in water levels had left a trail of destruction, flooding the hotel and nearby farms.
He noted that for over 30 years, the hotel had been in operation, and they had never recorded anything of the kind, with the levels rising by the day.
"We are not on riparian land, but the water levels from the lake have risen sharply, affecting our business, and we are calling for support from the government to restart business," Mehta said.
Enock Kiminta, the chairman of the Lake Naivasha Water Resources User Association (LANARUA), said that the lake was like a bowl, which was now spilling its content.
He emphasized that the lake was becoming shallower every year due to human action around informal estates in Naivasha and the catchment area.
"There are proposals to construct a dam in Aberdare, which will in the future kill Lake Naivasha and the flower and fisheries sectors, which are mainstay for thousands," Kiminta said.
