AfricaPress-Tanzania: WATERFRONT properties and luxury hotels on the Lake Victoria are at high risk due to rising water levels, which is eroding shorelines, altering ecosystems and causing flooding and economic damage.
Lake Victoria is a source of livelihood and recreational center for a number of cities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
One of the stakeholders in the tourism industry in Bukoba town Mr William Rutta said recently that the rising water level has made businesses premises around the shores of the lake 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,” he said.
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 indirectly,” he added.
The economic slowdown by this rising water is touching a number of Bukoba residents directly and indirectly,” 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 specialises in Environment and Climate Change Adaptation.
Investors in tourism and recreational facilities in the area are looking for alternative settings to rescue the situation.
The situation was being expressed after the once feared to be extinct lake Victoria water increased extremely to disrupting settlements 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 to 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.
Similar consequences caused by surging water levels have also been reported in other countries.
