Foreign weed is choking aquatic life at Bura Dam

By Renson Mnyamwezi

Taita Taveta County

A foreign weed has invaded a dam at Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and is adversely affecting tourism and biodiversity conservation activities.

The management of the Sarova Taita Hills and Salt Lick Lodges say the invasion by the plant known as the Egyptian or Nile Cabbage weed threatens the survival of aquatic life at Bura Dam in Mwatate District.

The dam is also used by the residents besides wildlife in the sanctuary and the expansive Tsavo West National Park and is one of the major tourism attraction sites in the area..

The spongy and floating plant has covered the entire water surface.

"The weed’s origin is still not known," said Willy Mwadilo who is the General Manager of the two lodges.

The sanctuary’s senior warden Richard Obanda said the dam is habitat to fish and crocodiles among other aquatic animals.

Mwadilo and Obanda expressed concern that the plant could spread in the entire ecosystem if drastic measures were not taken. "The Government is aware of the rapid spread of the weed but is doing little to address the menace," said Mwadilo.

The sanctuary management has resorted to removing the weed manually as a safety measure to protect the dam and wildlife from dying.

"The exercise is, however, too slow and expensive but we have to remove the plant somehow," he said.

He said they were involving the Government and local universities to go and do a study on the plant that emerged in the area a year ago under mysterious circumstances.

"The good part is that once the plant is out of water it dies immediately because it only survives in swampy areas," said Obanda.