Fish from Lake Naivasha fit for human consumption

The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) has certified fish from Lake Naivasha as fit for human consumption amid fears of pollution on rivers flowing into the water body from the catchment.

According to the institute, all species of fish from the lake were fit for consumption, though there was a need to address the pollution, mainly by flower farms and human settlements.

Last week, the Water Resources Authority (WRA) identified illegal abstraction and pollution as the two major challenges currently facing rivers flowing from the catchment into the lake.

This emerged during 'a journey of River Gilgil' organised by Lake Naivasha Basin Landscape Association (LANABLA) to identify challenges facing the water body. According to Edna Waithaka, a research scientist with the institute, the quality of water flowing downhill was deteriorating due to urbanisation and poor farming practices. ]

Waithaka admitted that there were issues of pollution with the quality of the water changing, though this had not affected fish catch in the lake.

"We are working with other agencies like the Water Resources Authority in monitoring the quality of water flowing into Lake Naivasha, and we can affirm that the fish is safe," she said.

Speaking during a tour of the river that flows from Ndondori to the lake, the scientist called for concerted efforts to address the rising cases of illegal water abstraction along the rivers.

On his part, LANABLA Chairman Dan Karanja Nyoro noted that due to abstraction and increase in population, River Gilgil had turned from an annual into a seasonal river.

He noted that poor farming practices, encroachment of riparian land and abstraction had adversely affected the quality and quantity of water flowing downstream.

"If you compare the data from the upper catchment and the lower catchment, they are two different things mainly due to erosion and pollution," he said.

He called on the Water Resources Authority to enforce the law by dealing with those illegally abstracting water so as to save the river.

Grace Nyambura, who represents the Beach Management Units (BBMUss), noted that pollution and poor agriculture practices could in future have an impact on fish catch from the lake.

She said that the fisher-folk were ready to work with partners to reclaim riparian land and conserve the catchment area so as to improve the quality and quantity of water.

"It's evident that the quality and quantity of water goes down from the upper catchment to downstream, and we need to address this before it affects the lake's ecosystem," she said.