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In Kenya, flooding in the Rift Valley worries residents. The water levels of Lake Baringo, a freshwater lake, and Lake Bogoria, an alkaline lake, have risen two meters per day and the water melting poses a threat to wildlife and livelihoods in the region.
The population of flamingos – which attract many tourists every year to Lake Bogoria in Kenya, has steadily declined from around two million to 100,000.
This is due to the change in water quality over time due to pollution, waste and sediment from the inlets of Lake Bogoria. The more the water quality changes, the more flamingos die.
The alkaline Bogoria Lake provides a unique feeding habitat for the famous flamingos. Freshwater Lake Baringo supports fishing and agriculture.
The potential mixing of the two lakes, just one kilometer apart, would jeopardize the livelihoods of more than 5,000 families and have a major ecological impact.
Bed and breakfasts and public schools around the lakes are also affected because they are not easily accessible due to the rising waters.
Anne Macharia toured the region and spoke to scientists about the problem. She sent this report which also appeared in episode 13 of RFi’s Africa Calling podcast.
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