Lake Victoria Basin clean-up put on hold as coronavirus disrupts project
Thursday May 13 2021
Parents and students ride a boat after flooding caused an overflow of Lake Victoria in Kisumu, western Kenya. PHOTO | AFP
People living within the Lake Victoria catchment area have to wait a little longer before enjoying a better environment in the face of increasing rainfall variability and rising temperatures.
A project funded by the Adaption Fund to adopt and implement nature-based solutions to build resilience to climate change has been extended to 2022 following implementation challenges.
“Covid-19 impacted the project execution and was one of the reasons the extension was requested,” said Adaption Fund manager Mikko Ollikainen in an e-mail to The EastAfrican on the project.
Communities that depend on farming and fishing are seeing reduced fish stocks as well as agricultural productivity around the lake. These increase pressure on subsistence livelihoods, commercial activities and food security.
Transboundary project
Unsustainable use of natural resources in the region, which is exacerbated by rapid population growth, also degrades woodland and wetland ecosystems around the lake leading to soil erosion and low water quality.
The Lake Victoria transboundary water catchment management project received $5 million funding for projects in the five countries that share the Basin.
The Adaption Fund, hosted by Global Environment Facility is a nature-based solution harnessing nature and ecosystem services to build climate change resilience. It uses ecosystem restoration, woodland conservation and wetlands to control soil erosion, extend reservoir lifespans to improve water quality.
Other approaches involve training in adaptation solutions, water catchment management, water conservation techniques, climate-smart agriculture, production of detailed and ‘downscaled’ climate information and forecasts.
Dry seasons are accompanied by droughts and low flows in rivers while rainy seasons bear floods. These changes lead to decrease in water quality and availability for people and industries around Lake Victoria Basin (LVB).
The LVB catchment area being home to the world’s second largest freshwater mass faces the challenges of climate change, deforestation, environmental pollution and heavy metals like mercury contaminating ground and surface water due to mining activity.
Adapting to Climate Change in Lake Victoria Basin project approved by the Adaption Fund Board on May 5, 2017 started in June 2018 and was to end in June 2021. The United Nations Environment Programme is overseeing implementing of project and Lake Victoria Basin Commission is executing entity.
Completion date was extended by 18 months to 2022 and approved by Adaptation Fund Board at Unep’s request.