Local leaders lack funds to stop Lake Kyoga from drying up
LAKE Kyoga is being choked by weeds and the water levels are dropping. <br>The district officials, whose population benefit from the basin, want the Government to address this issue before it gets out of hand.
By Patrick Jaramogi
LAKE Kyoga is being choked by weeds and the water levels are dropping.
The district officials, whose population benefit from the basin, want the Government to address this issue before it gets out of hand.
Lake Kyoga is the largest shallow lake in the country, with an area of 1,720sqkm. It benefits close to eight million people from the districts of Apac, Nakasongola, Amolatar, Soroti, Kaberamaido, Kayunga, Kumi, Dokolo, Katakwi, Palisa and Kamuli.
District officials want the lake, that initially had 46 fish species, revamped to when it used to produce 185,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.
Eng. Thomas Muwanga Mulondo, the Kayunga district chairperson, also the chairperson of Lake Kyoga Integrated Management Organisation said the organisation would address all these aspects but it lacks the funds.
“We have interest in managing the problems of the lake, but we are financially handicapped. The Beach Management Units have failed because they are not monitored and evaluated,†he said.
Mulondo said some of the districts that benefit from the lake basin do not remit funds, making it hard to carry out activities.
The organisation’s executive secretary, Felix Magnito, said there are 192 community-based beach units, serving 49 sub-counties in the districts.
“The organisation was abandoned at an infant stage. The beach management team has never been re-elected and their terms have expired. Lake Kyoga is a central lake in Uganda, yet some parts are drying up, while weeds have eaten up a bigger section,†said Gonzaga.
Soroti district chairman, Stephen Ochola said: “Soroti used to depend on livestock which was depleted due to the insurgency.
When graduated tax was scrapped, we were left with only one source of revenue — fishing and now most of the revenue comes from landing sites, but they need to be guarded.â€
Nakasongola’s fisheries officer David Nsamba, said the issue of people settling in the sudds (floating islands) should be addressed immediately, because it promotes indiscriminate fishing.
“A lot of degradation is going on in the catchment areas. Deforestation and overgrazing, especially during the dry season, has caused severe silting but above all, the issue of resettlement in sudds must be stopped,†he advised. Catchment areas are those where water drains off into the lake.
William Oketta, the Soroti fisheries officer, called for the harmonisation of activities in the Kyoga basin.
“The primary factor is the handling of fish. Indicators show that the stock is depleting due to illegal and indiscriminate use of fishing gear.
“Another serious disease is the buying of fish (by fish exporters) from the lake through middlemen.â€
He said this does not allow the fisheries officials to have proper data of the fish got from the respective districts, because the fish goes straight to the factories.
Oketta said currently, there is the issue of extortion, where some district officials illicitly charge fishermen who use illegal fishing gear between sh20,000 and sh25,000.
Jacob Olwo, the Kaberamaido fisheries chief, said the issue must be addressed by the Government immediately.
“But we should remove them only after creating avenues for fishermen to acquire legal fishing gear,†he advised.
Dr Nicholas Azza, the assistant commissioner for water quality in the water and environment ministry, said the Lake Kyoga organisation would be sustained when the Lake Kyoga Basin Multipurpose Water Resources Management and Development Project kicks off.
“We have written a concept note to our development partners, seeking $115m (sh200b), specifically for Kyoga basin,†said Azza.
The water and environment minister, Miria Mutagamba, told World Bank officials recently that the Government is committed to the development of Kyoga, because it is vital to Uganda.
Uganda has a capacity of producing more than 300,000 metric tonnes of fish annually, on a sustainable basis.
The highest catch ever recorded was in 1990, with 245,000 metric tonnes which generated over $90m in fish exports.
Fish, which contributes close to 3% of the gross domestic product, benefits over one million people. A total of 60% of the fish caught is marketed fresh, while only 20% is processed using methods like salting, smoking and sun drying.
Mutagamba believes that with the development of Kyoga basin, poverty will be reduced, production boosted and the environment conserved.
“Investment in this industry can only be sustained if the resources are managed responsibly,†she commented.
LAKE Kyoga is being choked by weeds and the water levels are dropping.
The district officials, whose population benefit from the basin, want the Government to address this issue before it gets out of hand.
Lake Kyoga is the largest shallow lake in the country, with an area of 1,720sqkm. It benefits close to eight million people from the districts of Apac, Nakasongola, Amolatar, Soroti, Kaberamaido, Kayunga, Kumi, Dokolo, Katakwi, Palisa and Kamuli.
District officials want the lake, that initially had 46 fish species, revamped to when it used to produce 185,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.
Eng. Thomas Muwanga Mulondo, the Kayunga district chairperson, also the chairperson of Lake Kyoga Integrated Management Organisation said the organisation would address all these aspects but it lacks the funds.
“We have interest in managing the problems of the lake, but we are financially handicapped. The Beach Management Units have failed because they are not monitored and evaluated,†he said.
Mulondo said some of the districts that benefit from the lake basin do not remit funds, making it hard to carry out activities.
The organisation’s executive secretary, Felix Magnito, said there are 192 community-based beach units, serving 49 sub-counties in the districts.
“The organisation was abandoned at an infant stage. The beach management team has never been re-elected and their terms have expired. Lake Kyoga is a central lake in Uganda, yet some parts are drying up, while weeds have eaten up a bigger section,†said Gonzaga.
Soroti district chairman, Stephen Ochola said: “Soroti used to depend on livestock which was depleted due to the insurgency.
When graduated tax was scrapped, we were left with only one source of revenue — fishing and now most of the revenue comes from landing sites, but they need to be guarded.â€
Nakasongola’s fisheries officer David Nsamba, said the issue of people settling in the sudds (floating islands) should be addressed immediately, because it promotes indiscriminate fishing.
“A lot of degradation is going on in the catchment areas. Deforestation and overgrazing, especially during the dry season, has caused severe silting but above all, the issue of resettlement in sudds must be stopped,†he advised. Catchment areas are those where water drains off into the lake.
William Oketta, the Soroti fisheries officer, called for the harmonisation of activities in the Kyoga basin.
“The primary factor is the handling of fish. Indicators show that the stock is depleting due to illegal and indiscriminate use of fishing gear.
“Another serious disease is the buying of fish (by fish exporters) from the lake through middlemen.â€
He said this does not allow the fisheries officials to have proper data of the fish got from the respective districts, because the fish goes straight to the factories.
Oketta said currently, there is the issue of extortion, where some district officials illicitly charge fishermen who use illegal fishing gear between sh20,000 and sh25,000.
Jacob Olwo, the Kaberamaido fisheries chief, said the issue must be addressed by the Government immediately.
“But we should remove them only after creating avenues for fishermen to acquire legal fishing gear,†he advised.
Dr Nicholas Azza, the assistant commissioner for water quality in the water and environment ministry, said the Lake Kyoga organisation would be sustained when the Lake Kyoga Basin Multipurpose Water Resources Management and Development Project kicks off.
“We have written a concept note to our development partners, seeking $115m (sh200b), specifically for Kyoga basin,†said Azza.
The water and environment minister, Miria Mutagamba, told World Bank officials recently that the Government is committed to the development of Kyoga, because it is vital to Uganda.
Uganda has a capacity of producing more than 300,000 metric tonnes of fish annually, on a sustainable basis.
The highest catch ever recorded was in 1990, with 245,000 metric tonnes which generated over $90m in fish exports.
Fish, which contributes close to 3% of the gross domestic product, benefits over one million people. A total of 60% of the fish caught is marketed fresh, while only 20% is processed using methods like salting, smoking and sun drying.
Mutagamba believes that with the development of Kyoga basin, poverty will be reduced, production boosted and the environment conserved.
“Investment in this industry can only be sustained if the resources are managed responsibly,†she commented.