Save Lake Nakuru from choking on plastic waste

Once immensely popular for its abundance of the elegant flamingos, Lake Nakuru is a pale shadow of itself.

The migration of flamingos from the Lake to Lake Bogoria in 2013 and the earlier scare caused when water levels receded alarmingly appear not to have raised enough concern for relevant authorities to embark on preservation measures.

Today, aquatic life in Lake Nakuru is at great risk from an accumulation of plastic that finds its way into the lake.

Plastic is a non-biodegradable material that requires careful disposal to avoid the myriad of negative effects it has on the environment. Why the Nakuru County government has not taken concrete measures to save the lake from degradation is not clear.

The National Geographic rated Lake Nakuru second most colourful lake in the world after Christmas Island in Australia.

Having been declared a national park and Rhino sanctuary respectively in 1961 and 1983, there are approximately 45 black and 31 Southern White rhinos today, besides numerous bird species.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Suspect narrates chilling details in case on serial women murders
• 
  Day out with the trash trackers of Mukuru slums
• 
  Eight buffaloes electrocuted in Nakuru
• 
  Lake Nakuru's changing chemistry breeds fish, health hazard

There is every reason such a tourist attraction, home to some endangered wild species, should be protected. Protecting the lake is a collective responsibility.

Careless disposal must be discouraged as the ban on plastics waits to come into effect in September. The Nakuru County governments would do well to set aside funds for improving the lake, park and sanctuary.