'Machine could destroy Lake Kyoga'

RESEARCHERS on fisheries and biodiversity have warned that using heavy machinery to remove the sudd on Lake Kyoga could destroy the lake basin and the surrounding wetlands. Jossy Muhangi reports that Dr. Richard Ogutu Ohwayo, the director for Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI) in Jinja, yesterday told the minister for fisheries, Mr. Fred Mukisa, that removing the sudd could disintegrate the lake into small swampy rivers. Mukisa was touring laboratories and an aquarium during the workshop on the management of the Kyoga basin. Oguttu said lake was shallow and the sudd was important in maintaining it. He said the sudd had always existed. Oguttu said the sudd also filtered tributaries and rivers from the catchment area and that they acted as habitat and breeding area for fish. He said the thick hippo grass forming the sudd should not be removed either and wondered how NEMA allowed this to happen. Oguttu wanted the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out before allowing the sudd, which in 1998 caused the Kyoga to flood and River Nile to flow back, to be tampered with. An official said a deadly weed had invaded Kyoga, Bisina and Opeta lakes in Teso. Dr. Tom Twongo, who has been heading the anti-water hyacinth task force, identified the weed as esoria in Ateso. Its botanical name is Najas Horrida. Twongo told Mukisa the under water weed was hard to eliminate. The two-day workshop attracted fisheries officers from sub-counties of districts in the Kyoga basin. They include Kamuli, Soroti, Kumi, Pallisa, Apac, Lira and Nakasongola.