Why fish are dying in L. Naivasha

FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF FI-sh in Lake Naivasha, flower growers under the Kenya Flower Council and the Lake Naivasha Growers Group wish to express their shock and would urge the government to establish the cause of this occurrence.

Both organisations have, for slightly over a decade, championed responsible farm practices through a voluntary code of practice that guides growers on the social and environmental implications of their industry.

Only growers strictly adhering to the code of practice, that is revised regularly and is now in its seventh edition are allowed to brand the KFC logo on their produce, farms, trucks and stationery.

Errant members are promptly suspended until they put their practice on track. To date, five growers remain suspended and two have been expelled.

The code of practice is a basic demand in certain high-end overseas markets, that has seen a number of growers invest millions in corporate social responsibility programmes.

Farms which are supplying international markets are strictly audited by third party organisations and KFC to ensure the handling and use of pesticides and chemicals are strictly controlled, thereby protecting the employees, communities as well as the environment.

Those farms accredited to Kenya Flower Council standards are required to have wetlands in place to ensure that any water returning to the lake is clean.

The council will not hesitate to kick out any of its members found to have contributed to the death of fish.

At the same time, the council would like to petition the government to make it mandatory for all growers to join an association that requires them to adhere to a code of practice, failure to which licences should be withdrawn.

WHILE WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND that the industry should continue self-regulating, it is becoming increasingly difficult to rein in errant growers, some of who are growing flowers on riparian land around he lake.

They are the same ones who could be discharging dangerous chemicals into the lake.

To safeguard the integrity of the industry and to safeguard the billions of investments, thousands of jobs and foreign exchange from the flower sector, action must be taken to ensure that in future, incidents such as this are not repeated.

Overseas buyers are sensitive to environmental degradation, and can boycott our produce because a few growers are irresponsible.

We would urge the media to avoid depicting the entire industry as irresponsible because it hurts those who have gone out of their way to build reputable businesses, and there are many examples that the media can visit to verify.

The lake is under stress due to the failure of the rains since the end of 2008, despite some respite in December and over the last few days.

The growers group and the Lake Naivasha Water Resource Users Association have been pressing for a ban on all new water permits until the results of a survey carried out jointly with the Water Management Authority of the whole Naivasha Basin can determine precisely how much water is being abstracted.

Throughout this very dry period, the growers have cut back water use, in some instances postponing replanting until conditions become more favourable.

Others have invested in rain water harvesting, hydroponics growing and also reverse osmosis plants to utilise ground water that, unlike the lake water, is high in dissolved salts and needs to be treated before it can be used for irrigation.

Ms Ngige is CEO, Kenya Flower Council