Concern as Lake Turkana waters receding slowly

Residents of Kalokol salvage their belongings following flooding of Lake Turkana last year. The levels of water in the lake have beeen going down, leading to fears it may dry up. [Photo: File/Standard]

Turkana, Kenya: Charles Esinyen, a resident of Kalokol village, is a worried man as he stands on the shores of Lake Turkana.

The tall and dark old man in his early seventies is tired after pulling his boat away from the calm lake, his catch of fish has been dwindling lately.

His wrinkled face, grey beard, fragile frame and a 'tired' fishing net tell of the many years he has spent fishing in one of the largest desert lakes in the world.

"Do you know that the lake is slowly drying up? Do you know that we cannot get enough fish anymore? How will we feed our families? How will we educate our children without fish?" asks Mr Esinyen as we approach his boat.

Esinyen says the lake has receded by 200m since January and this was increasing with each passing day.

ENOUGH WATER

"I wake up each morning to pray that God may remember our future generations. My son is slowly learning how to fish as we depend on it for our livelihood. What will happen to him if the lake dries up? What will his family depend on?" he asks.

Esinyen is not the only one worried about the rate at which the lake is receding. Jane Akiru, another resident, shares the sentiments.

"Last year, the lake burst its banks. It flooded such that we were forced to move towards Kalokol town. I had a shop near the lake. When it flooded, I lost everything in it but was grateful that we had enough water to use. It is sad now that the lake's water level is receding so fast. We are even scared that it is going to dry up soon. Where will we get water to use?" said Ekiru.

Jonathan Esinyen, an official at the Imprezza Beach Management Unit, attributed the drying of the lake to the Gibe III Dam constructed in Ethiopia.

He says most fish go upstream to reproduce and most of them might have been closed up by the dam.

"I believe that the reason we are fast losing our lake is the fact that Ethiopia has closed the source of the water. The fish might have also been stuck up there in their dam as it was being constructed," said Esinyen.

The Omo River, which is the lake's largest tributary, is under stress as the Ethiopian Government plans on using its water for hydropower and agricultural development.