Receding water levels in Lake Naivasha worrying as drought bites

Environmentalists have expressed concerns over the receding water levels in Lake Naivasha due to the prolonged drought.

According to the Lake Naivasha Water Resources User’s Association (WRUA’s) Chairman Enock Kiminta who spoke to the Nation.co.ke on Saturday evening, the situation has been worsened by illegal water abstraction at River Malewa that flows into the Lake.

He said small scale farmers were abstracting water illegally, occasioning the reduced water levels, as dry weather persists.

“I am calling on the relevant water bodies to step in and arrest all those carrying out illegal water abstraction,” said Mr Kiminta.

“The river is also being threatened by deforestation and siltation as well as increased abstraction for irrigation purposes,” he added.

Mr Kiminta said it was necessary that measures to protect the lake be put into place in order to restore the flow to the freshwater lake, ensure sustainability of livelihoods and ecosystems.

He faulted the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA) for failing to honour a pact that would have seen the water body channel 15 per cent of collected revenue through WRUA for conservation purposes.

He expressed fear that the River Malewa might dry up just like the nearby River Karati.

Downstream users also cried foul saying they were using the dried River as their source of livelihood that included sand harvesting.

“We used to harvest sand in the shores of the River but it has dried up exacerbating our woes,” said Stephen Magangi.

According to the National Water Master Plan 2030 recommendations, an Annual Catchment Forum needed to be held so as to strengthen capacity of water resources management in each catchment.