Nile states urged to protect water resources

By Stella Naigino

STATES which share the source of the Nile, Lake Victoria and Kyoga have been asked to protect the water bodies for environmental preservation.

The call was made by Emmanuel Kasimbazi the chairman of the International Water Law Committee, during the water law, negotiation and resolution training at Makerere University.

The call comes with need to enhance capacity to handle regional water resources, manage arising issues and also negotiate solutions to the problems.

"Uganda hosts the headquarters of the Nile Basin Initiative and Lake Kyoga basin project making them key in the management of trans-boundary management and therefore the need to protect the water bodies," Kasimbazi said.

He said pollution of Lake Victoria is mainly due to discharge of raw sewage into the lake, dumping of domestic and industrial waste, fertilizers and chemicals from farms which should be stopped.

Kasimbazi explained that Lake Victoria basin is one of the most densely populated rural areas in the world. Its shores are dotted with cities and towns, including Kisumu, Kisii, and Homa Bay in Kenya; Kampala, Jinja, and Entebbe in Uganda as well as Bukoba, Mwanza and Musoma in Tanzania.

"These cities and towns also are home to many factories that discharge their waste directly into the lake and its confluent rivers. These urban areas also discharge raw sewage into the river, increasing its eutrophication that in turn is helping to sustain the invasive water hyacinth," said Marcella Nanni, the legal and policy expert IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) said.

Nanni added that, emphasis should be put on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of water resources by improving on those that exist and also struggle to discover more.

The flow of the water should not affect concerned countries though countries that share these water bodies should have equal rights to jointly manage the water resources.