This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
Five years ago, scientists warned about the rising water levels of Lake Victoria, but many people did not take them seriously. Today, the consequences of inaction are stark. Business premises at Dunga Beach in Kisumu are flooded, and thousands are staring at huge losses as swelling waters continue to displace homes and businesses.
Prices of parcels of land around the lake have soared, but the rising water levels have now submerged many of these investments. Crops have been destroyed, and all leisure activities along the shores have been brought to an abrupt end. Several towns and mushrooming trade centres along the lake, including parts of Kisumu City, are facing a threat of being destroyed.
Experts and villagers claim their current situation was last witnessed 57 years ago, when similar swelling in 1963 destroyed villages. Raging floods have left trails of destruction and swept away villages, worsening the situation and slowly turning it into a calamity.
Several beaches, fish-landing sites, sporting facilities, and luxurious homes have been submerged as water levels continue to rise. The situation has also brought a fresh human-wildlife conflict as the swelling waters destroyed breeding and feeding zones of hippos, which are now forced out to feed in broad daylight just next to homes.
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Yesterday, a group of fishmongers were wading through the waters after collecting fish from a boat. Joan Achieng, a hotelier, claimed the waters have robbed her of her hotel and forced her to close it down and turn her attention to fish-hawking to eke a living.
“We are all living in fear because the water levels keep rising every day. It is worse in the afternoons when there are strong tides,” said Achieng.
Christopher Aura, a scientist with the Kenya Maritime Fisheries Institute, told The Standard that climate change was the reason behind the swelling waters. “The waters of Lake Victoria are swelling as a result of climate change. Several rivers are also having levels of water that is draining into the lake,” said Aura.
Joseph Auko, an elder, who was displaced from his home for the first time since 1963, claimed the situation has destroyed his life. “It is not clear whether the lake waters will subside so that we can go back to our homes, but we are optimistic nature will have mercy on us,” said Auko.
