Schools of dead fish proof of lake poisoning

By Antony Gitonga

From afar they looked like hundreds of bubbles on the lake but a closer look revealed they were dead fish.

Hundreds of bloated fish, turned pinky-grey by decay, were washed ashore and others under papyrus reed marshes, a grim indicator that something tragic had struck Lake Naivasha.

Thursday morning was a gloomy day along the shores of the fresh water lake as residents of Naivasha town woke up to find hundreds of fish dotting the lake like pieces of paper.

Just a day after The Standard published a story last Wednesday, of environmental degradation that is killing Lake Naivasha, the specks of dead fish popped up like proof of the concern that has been raised repeatedly by environmentalists, Government and other stakeholders.

Even some directors of flower farms, the main culprit suspected of dumping pesticide-laden effluent into the lake, could not ignore the gory sight that drew hundreds of Naivasha residents to the lake shores. Some of the directors made unsolicited denials that their farms were responsible for the glaring environmental disaster.

The aquatic disaster continued with more fish popping up in the lake yesterday.

Mysterious occurence

Worry was palpable along the lake shore as residents, who depend on the lake water for domestic use and fishermen who work the lake converged at many spots where fish kept washing shore, discussing the mysterious occurrence.

As a stinging odour wafted through the morning breeze, predator birds, fish eagles and cormorants which feed on fish perched on tree tops seeming to shun the ominous feast. Some rare fisher species had earlier been found dead apparently after consuming the dead fish but the remaining population appeared to sense danger and avoided the windfall. A bird-watchers’ tour guide said birds of prey rarely feed on animals that die from poisoning.

Concern etched on their faces, operators of tourist boats moved in and collected over 600 dead fish on Thursday, dug shallow pits by the shore and buried them.

Deeply concerned

The sight has left residents deeply concerned that the lake water is evidently highly polluted by something that is killing the fish.

For years, flower farms have been accused of polluting the lake as majority of them do not have drainage wetlands and let chemical run-offs flow back to the lake untreated.

They have vehemently been denying this, accusing activists and the media of blowing the issue out of proportion, until now!

With fingers pointing at the flower farms, that number over 50, as the emitters of toxic waste that could be harmful not just to fish alone, the Government to stir into pong-awaited action.

Public Health Minister Beth Mugo on Saturday directed an immediate inspection of flower farms suspected of emitting effluent into the lake.

"We cannot move the lake and therefore the flower farms must allow inspection and approval by public health officials or be shut down," said Mugo.

Mugo said one flower company has already been taken to court by the Public Health Department after it was caught discharging poisonous chemicals and raw sewage into the lake. The minister said her ministry would work with the Fisheries ministry and the Marine Department to clean up the endangered lake.

According to an eco-tour operator Mr David Kilo, dead fish started popping up in the lake after a heavy downpour last week.

He said past environmental studies conducted on the lake pointed to chemical run off from flower farms as the cause, adding that the problem could get worse in coming days.

Lake degradation

A conservationist Mr Nigel Warren who was once a member of the Lake Naivasha Riparian Association admits flower farms have played a big role in the lake degradation.

"I resigned from the association in protest against lack of compliance with environmental conservation of the lake by flower farms. They have in one way or the other contributed to the current status of the lake,"

The former British soldier-turned-conservationist says he resigned from the association meant to conserve the lake after learning that all was not well.

"You don’t have to be a genius or scientist to discover that despite employing thousands of people, the flower farms have done their part in destroying this lake," he said.

A researcher from Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (Kemfri) Mr George Morara says massive death of fish could have been caused by either suffocation or poisoning.

Morara says samples have already been taken to the Kemfri laboratory and results are expected to be out soon.

Suffocation

"Initial investigations showed the fish could have died from suffocation or poisoning as their mouths and gills were open," he said.

He said majority of the dead fish were found in shallow areas, which had been covered in siltation following the heavy rains.

"There could be depletion of oxygen when the organic matter decomposes causing the death of the fish," he said.

"The death could also be caused by pollution, mainly from chemicals and fertilisers used by the horticultural farms but laboratory results will clear up the issue," he added.

And as the flower farms come under attack, their representatives, the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) and Lake Naivasha Growers Group (LNGG) had not issued on official statement by yesterday despite persistent efforts by the media to carry their comment.