|
OceanDocs >
Africa >
Kenya >
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute >
Conference Papers >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1834/1281
|
| Title: | Water hyacinth: an environmental disaster in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria and its control |
| Authors: | Ochiel, G.R.S.
Mailu, A.M.
Gitonga, W.
Njoka, S.W. |
| ASFA Terms: | Environmental conditions
Environmental effects
Environmental impact
Environmental protection
Resource management
Socioeconomic aspects |
| Issue Date: | 2000 |
| Citation: | Proceedings of the 1st IOBC water hyacinth working group, p. 101-105 |
| Abstract: | Water hyacinth has in the recent past had an adverse socio-economic impact on the
lakeshore communities of Lake Victoria, particularly in the Winam Gulf. Fishing,
lake transport and water supply have been seriously affected by the water hyacinth.
KARI’s efforts at mitigating this disaster have so far been in the form of a twopronged
management strategy consisting of physical and biological measures. The
local administration has been involved in mobilizing the local communities to remove
water hyacinth manually at strategic sites. However, there have been a number of
constraints, mainly community attitudes to self-help activities. The Kenya Industrial
Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) has developed a prototype mechanical
harvester in a KARI-funded local initiative. The prototype has been tested and is still
being improved; again with varying attitudes on the part of financiers. KARI’s
biological control efforts, though not a popular option amongst to the communities,
has had an impact at the Police Pier. At the Pier, the critical threshold of 5
Neochetina weevils per plant has been reached, with plants stunted and incapable of
reproduction. Field stations near the lakeshores will be part of a community-based
rearing programme. Isolates of the fungal pathogens Cercospora spp. and Alternaria
spp. are currently undergoing glasshouse and host-specificity tests. Chemical control
using herbicides is seriously being considered at a regional level. Lake Victoria
waters are used for domestic purposes and by livestock. Local communities may be
required to avoid treated areas. Only surgical or partial sprays with environmentally
safe herbicides may be possible. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/1281 |
| Appears in Collections: | Conference Papers
|
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|
