Read our article about Lake Victoria on page 42 of English Now No 121. Then watch this video about the pollution that is damaging the lake.
“It’s the largest lake in Africa, and one of the biggest in the world. Lake Victoria is about the size of the country of Ireland. With about 3,000 kilometres of shores, it cuts across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. But the lake’s future is under threats. Each morning, these Kenyan fishermen head out to the water but their catch is dwindled1. The majority of the country’s fish used to come from here.
-The amount reduces each and every day.
-Years ago you could see fish running inside that water, but for nowadays… I can’t say if it’s because of the pollution coming from the rivers or…
Closer to lands, the water turns opaque, it is a deep army green colour. The fishermen say that this pollution has killed several species, from fish to frogs, as well as plants. The scientists are also worried.
-It is critical. Actually terrible. It’s almost a dead lake. We have debris pollution, which involves things like plastics. When the plastics are thrown out and scatter, all around the cities and even upstream where the rivers come from, they end up in the lake.
In recent decades, 50 million people have settled near the lake and that number is set to double over the next 30 years. These growing towns throw their dirty water directly into rivers that feed into the lake, as do local factories, as well as farmers. Everyone here is accustomed to using the lake as a rubbish tip.
-The people who release their waste, they don’t have septic2 so at night, they let it loose, they release it and then it comes down to the river.
Local authorities are struggling to put in place a large-scale program that could protect the water quality. Meanwhile, teams of volunteers are trying to raise awareness of the issue. Today, they’re at the market to talk to the locals about the impact of plastic on the environment.
-I want to talk to you about why this is dangerous.
Several times a month, the activists also organise clean-ups. They know that they can’t solve the problem on their own, but they’re doing what they can to bring change.
-The best thing about my generation is: we like to solve problems. Once you show a young person that they have a voice and they can create change, nothing is going to stop them. It is possible to bring it back because we’ve seen ecosystems are on the wild actually rebound when people tend to leave them alone and pollution stops.
If the current trends continue, two thirds of the fish in the lake will disappear in the coming years. An ecological catastrophe that will have an impact on the whole of East Africa.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1Diminue, se réduit 2Septic tanks : fosses septiques