The document discusses the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP), which was implemented by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to address environmental threats facing Lake Victoria and its basin. It describes the collaborative approach taken by establishing joint committees and a regional secretariat. Key areas of focus included pollution control, soil conservation, forestry, wetlands management, and controlling water hyacinth. Collaboration efforts included harmonizing monitoring, research, and management strategies. While some progress was made, continued cooperation is needed to sustainably manage the shared natural resources of Lake Victoria over the long term.

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Freshwater Basin Management:Freshwater Basin Management:
Experiences and Lessons learntExperiences and Lessons learnt
from Implementation offrom Implementation of
Lake Victoria EnvironmentalLake Victoria Environmental
Management Project (LVEMP)Management Project (LVEMP)
Paper By Christopher M. Nyirabu, Regional Executive Secretary,
LVEMP
presented at:
The Second Global Environment Facility (GEF) Biennial International
Waters Conference, 25-29 September, 2002 Dalian, China

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IntroductionIntroduction
Lake Victoria Basin, has a
catchment area of 180950 km2
,
excluding lake surface water, is
shared between:
Kenya (38913 km2
), Tanzania
(79570 km2
), Uganda (28857 km2
)
 Burundi (13060 km2
) and Rwanda
(20550 km2
)

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Introduction (cont)Introduction (cont)
Within this basin lie Lake Victoria, a fresh
water resource, and the second largest fresh
water in the world.
Has an area of 68,800 km2
shared
between Kenya (6%), Tanzania (51%)
and Uganda (43%).
Mean depth of 40m and maximum 84m.
Estimated volume of water of 2750 km3
.

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Introduction (cont)Introduction (cont)
Lake Victoria Basin supports estimated
population of 30 million people in Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda
The people in the basin are engaged in
agricultural production of cash and food
crops such as:
Coffee, tea, sugar cane & maize
Fishing & livestock keeping
Small scale mining (in Tanzania)

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Introduction (cont)Introduction (cont)
 Lake Victoria, on the hand, provides:
Fish for food and for sale
Water for industrial and domestic use
Hydropower generation
Transportation corridor between the
riparian countries.

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Introduction (cont)Introduction (cont)
The Lake also serves as a reservoir for
disposal for human sewage and
industrial effluents in the basin.
It is an important biodiversity
conservation area as well as a climate
moderator for some parts of the
riparian countries.

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Introduction (cont)Introduction (cont)
 The gross economic product of the lake
basin is estimated to be $4-5 billion
annually.
Fish yields from the lake alone are
estimated at 500,000 tons annually

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Status of the Lake VictoriaStatus of the Lake Victoria
Basin EnvironmentBasin Environment
 Lake Victoria Basin is facing serious
environmental threats in the last fifty
years caused by:
Increasing human population and
therefore socio-economic activities
Mostly, originate from the
catchment.

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
 Increasing deterioration of water quality of the
lake caused by discharges of untreated sewage
effluents as well as pollutants;
 Eutrophication caused by increased inflow of
nutrients into the lake;
 Degradation of land within the catchment caused
by unsustainable/poor agricultural practices.

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
(cont)(cont)
Sediments and nutrient loading
arising from the catchment
Responsible for the proliferation
of water hyacinth as well as algal
blooms in Lake Victoria

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
(cont)(cont)
Infestation of Lake Victoria with
hyacinth (Eichhronia crassipes and
Neochetina eichorniae) types.
By 1998/99 water hyacinths was
estimated to cover 15,000 hacters of
the Lake Victoria waters.

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
(cont)(cont)
The water hyacinth mates detrimental
effects are:
Reduction in fish in the lake through de-
oxygenation of water and reduction of
nutrients in sheltered bays which are
breeding and nursery grounds for fish;
Physical interference with fishing
operations;

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
(cont)(cont)
Water hyacinth detrimental effects (cont)
Physical interference with commercial
transportation;
Provision of breeding habitats
schistosomiasis (bilharzias), home for
vector mosquitoes for malaria, and a
haven for snakes

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Environmental ThreatsEnvironmental Threats
(cont)(cont)
Inadequate laws and regulations to facilitate
the management of Lake Victoria as a
single unit
 Inadequate extension services as well as
enforcement of fisheries legislation;
 Inadequate environmental data and
information. Database of resource
conditions available are few, outdated,
scattered and incomplete.

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Intervention measures by Kenya,Intervention measures by Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda in theTanzania and Uganda in the
conservation of Lake Victoriaconservation of Lake Victoria
ResourcesResources
 On 5 August 1994, entered into a Tripartite
Agreement, which constitutes a framework for
action
Identified transboundary water-related
environmental concerns
Agreed to adopt a comprehensive approach for
addressing the shared transboundary concerns
Agreed on the formulation of the LVEMP

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THE LAKE VICTORIATHE LAKE VICTORIA
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
PROJECT (LVEMP)PROJECT (LVEMP)
A comprehensive environmental
program to clean up Lake Victoria and
its catchment.
Manage the ecosystem in a sustainable
manner.

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Objectives of the LVEMPObjectives of the LVEMP
 Maximize the sustainable benefits to riparian from using
resources within the basin to generate food, employment
and income, supply safe water, and sustain a disease free
environment;
 Conserve biodiversity and genetic resources for the
benefit of the riparian communities as well as the global
community;
 Harmonize national management programmes in order to
achieve, to the maximum extent possible, the reversal of
increasing environmental degradation.

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LVEMP ImplementationLVEMP Implementation
Implemented by the Republic of Kenya,
United Republic of Tanzania and the
Republic of Uganda
The LVEMP is partly funded by:
GEF (US$35.0m)
IDA (US$35.0m); and
The three riparian countries (US$7.0m).

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LVEMP Implementation (cont)LVEMP Implementation (cont)
Through the LVEMP: Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda agreed to implement similar
environmental activities in the Lake
Victoria Basin, in order to:
Reverse the increasing degradation of
the LVB resources (waters, wetlands,
land, fish, etc)

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FOCUS ON INTERVENTIONFOCUS ON INTERVENTION
The riparian countries have focused
their intervention on the:
Control/prevention of pollution of
Lake Victoria waters;
Preventing soil erosion of the basin;
Conserving water for increased crop
yields and
Tree planting for various uses;

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FOCUS ON INTERVENTIONFOCUS ON INTERVENTION
(CONT)(CONT)
Sustainable Management of wetlands;
Management and control of water hyacinth;
Improvement and strengthening of fisheries
research;
Improvement and strengthening of fisheries
management;
Collection of data and information and
analysis in order to understand the
dynamics of the Lake Victoria ecosystem.

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Collaboration in theCollaboration in the
implementation of the LVEMPimplementation of the LVEMP
 Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have instituted the
following collaborative arrangements in the
implementation of the LVEMP:
 Set up a joint committee (RPSC) consisting of 9
PS (3 from each country) to supervise Project
implementation.
 Set up a Regional Secretariat based in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania to coordinate implementation of
the Project activities.
Coordinates harmonization of lake wide
activities.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
 Agreed on water quality monitoring standard
procedures and established 56-water quality
monitoring stations around and in Lake Victoria,
which are used for regular water sampling and
analysis.
 Carried out joint consultancies on Intergrated
Water Quality and Limnology Studies on Lake
Victoria.
Toxic Chemical Oil Spill Contingency Plan for
Lake Victoria.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
 Formulated a joint Water Quality Model for Lake
Victoria for various uses.
 The LVEMP is working on the harmonization of
fisheries legislations of the three countries for
uniform application on the management of the
Lake Victoria resources.
 Have identified and agreed on 100 fish landing
sites for improvement and gazetting. These will
ensure the safety of fish handling.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
Fisheries Researches from the three
countries working for the Project are jointly
authoring/editing two books on fish biology
on:
Biodiversity of Lake Victoria, its
Conservation and Sustainable Use.
The Biology and Ecology of Lake
Victoria Fishes; Their Development and
Management.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
Agreed on the three integrated methods for the
management and control of water hyacinth in
Lake Victoria (mechanical, manual and
biological control agents).
The use of these methods have enabled the
three countries to reduce water hyacinth
infestation on Lake Victoria by about 80% in
three years from 1998 - 2002.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
Established a joint Regional Water
Hyacinth Surveillance System, which
ensures a close monitoring and therefore
intervention to control the weed.
Have involved Rwanda to a limited extent,
in the management and control of water
hyacinth (most water hyacinth comes from
Rwanda through Kagera River).

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
Agreed to establish 558 Beach Management
Units responsible for:
Managing fish landing beaches all around
Lake Victoria (cleanness of the beaches,
safety of boats and other property and
registration of boats).
Some collect taxes on behalf of the
district/municipal authorities.

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Collaboration in theCollaboration in the
implementation of the LVEMPimplementation of the LVEMP
(cont)(cont)
The Project is also harmonizing GIS on
wetlands using Remote Sensing.
There is a sharing of scientific data and
information and knowledge on water
quality, biodiversity in Lake Victoria,
wetlands, agrochemicals, land management,
water hyacinth and afforestation.

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Collaboration in the implementation ofCollaboration in the implementation of
the LVEMP (cont)the LVEMP (cont)
 The Project is working on the collection, storage,
retrieval and sharing of fisheries database and
information in Lake Victoria.
 Carries out awareness campaigns to East African
Communities on the need to conserve and use
sustainably the resources of Lake Victoria basin.
Through brochures, radio and TV programmes,
meetings, seminars/workshops, newspapers.

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Collaboration in theCollaboration in the
implementation of the LVEMPimplementation of the LVEMP
(cont)(cont)
The Project has established a joint
website, www.lvemp.org, in which
information and data in the three
countries is posted and updated
regularly.

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CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
 Although some progress has been made in dealing
with a transboundary resource, there is still a need
for the three countries to continue addressing
threats facing Lake Victoria and its basin.
 Five years of LVEMP is too short period to tackle
successfully, the problems facing the Lake
Victoria Basin. It will take a longer period and
more resources to solve problems facing Lake
Victoria

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