AfricaPress-Tanzania: Recreational facilities providers around Lake Victoria in Bukoba municipality have been forced to search for alternative settings amid incurring losses after their premises were submerged by rising water levels.
The situation was being expressed after the once feared to be extinct lake Victoria water increased extremely to disrupting settlement of thousands of people living around the lake which is shared by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The Basin director of the Lake Victoria Water Board, Florence Mahay was recently quoted saying that the water volume of the 68,800km² Lake has gone up past the highest levels recorded 55 years ago.
“The highest level of was recorded 1965 which stood at 1134.27 Metres above mean sea level (MAMSL) has been surpassed to this which is now at 1134.38,” he said in an interview with a local television.
The Bukoba based tourism and other recreational trader Mr William Rutta, told africa-press on a telephone interview that the rising water level has made businesses premises around the shores of the lake has been submerged to the extent of life threatening.
“There are hotels, children playing fields and beach places like Kabuala and Kiroyera beach areas which have been completely swallowed by water, leading to closure of business and loss of jobs to a considerable number of people,” Mr. Rutta observed.
He said that the losses brought about by the waters are also touching other value chain of activities like fishing, transportation and warehouses near the beach where traders kept their products before channeling them to the market.
“This is a great blow for Bukoba residents.
Fishers are in trouble as their fishing boats are threatened by this wave, fish selling market in this city is inhospitable as well.
The economic slowdown by this rising water is touching a number of Bukoba residents directly and indirect ways,” he added
The University of Dar es Salaam’s Institute of Development Studies lecturer, Dr. Ronald Ndesanjo explained that the situation may prolong more in the future due to climatic changes effects aggravated by human activities to environment.
“Projections indicate rainfall increase of between 5 and 25 percent in the Lake Victoria Basin by the year 2100. What is being witnessed now could be a progression towards such increase. Therefore people living near the lake must take precautions,” said Dr. Ndesanjo who specializes in Environment and Climate Change Adaptation.
Lake Victoria is a source of livelihood and recreational center for a number of cities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Similar consequences caused by surging water levels have also been reported in other countries.
