LAKE VICTORIA INTRODUCTION

I'm here to tell you about lake Victoria. The next nine posts will tell you how people live there, problems, things that help, fisheries, employment, and lots of other things. Here are a few facts about Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is located on the Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzanias border. It has a irregular shoreline and a lot of little isles. The lake basin is densely popluated and intensely cultivated. Lake Victoria is a very important fishery too. Read the next 9 blogs to find out A LOT MORE! :)

What are the Fisheries?

The fisheries of lake Victoria are shared between kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. They provide and immense source of income, employment, food, and foreign exchange for East Africa. The lake produces a fish catch over 800,000 tonnes of fish annualy currently worth about $590 million of which US $340 million in generated at the shore and a further US $250 million a year is earned in exports form the Nile Perch Fishery. The lake fisheries support almost 2 million people with household incomes and meet the annual fish comsumption needs of almost 22 million people in the region.

How does HIV/AIDS spread amoung the coast?

The fishing industry and some cultural practices in communities living around Africa's Lake Victoria are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections in the area, according to the panel of experts at a recent meeting in Kisumu, and Kenya. According to this panel, cultural practices such as window inheritance commercial sex work for fish and long-distance trucking industry have led to the spread os HIV/AIDS.

What was it like in the past?

Lake Victoria is a comparatively young and shallow lake, and studies of the lake have shown that it has dried up completely at least three times since its inception nearly 400,000 years ago. In the past, the lake supported a thriving fishing industry but after the introduction of Nile Perch and Nile Tilapia beginning in the 1950s, the population of many of the lake native species crashed. Furthermore, the nile perch is most heavily over fished.

What are some affects to Lake Victoria these days?

The decreasing levels of Lake Victoria are affecting East Africas economy. Provided potable water, hydroelectric power, and inland water transport, the lake also supports many different industries, such as agriculture, tourism, wildlife, and fisheries. The Lake Basin serves as a major source of employment for an estimated 30 million people. The low water thing, has began to affect the electrical supply too. Uganda's capital , Kampala, have esperienced water cuts recently. The country has resorted to servere power rationing, for some others that have no electricity for 5 hours a day.

What are some pollution problems here?

Pollution in Lake Victoria is mainly due to discharge of raw sewage into the lake, dumping of domestic, and industrial waste, firtilizer, and chemicals from farms. The Lake Victoria basin is one of the most densely populated rural areas in the world. Its shores are also dotted with towns and cities. The major ones would be Kisumu, Kisii, and Homa Bay and in Kenya; Kampala, Jinja, and Entebbe in Uganda; and Bukoba, and Msoma in Tanzania. These cities and towns are also home to many factories that discharge their waste directly into a lake and its influent 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.

What are the tourist attractions here?

Lake Victoria is immensely beautiful and hemmed by the Moutainous Rift Valley Escarpment, and the lake shore is lined by long sandy beaches, rustic fishing vaillages and ancient forest rattling with birds and monkeys. The aquamarine waters and crystal clear have 1,000 fish species. The world-class tourist attraction of Gombe stream and Mahale mountains offer the best chimpanzee-tracking in Africa. The park is accessible by boat and the easiest way to visit is with chimpanzee safaris. Quided forest walks can be arranged and chimp-tracking as available all year, but the late dry season- July to October- have several advantages.