Kenya and Uganda in fight over fish and water in dwindling Lake Victoria
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- JanforGore
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more from News:
http://www.theage.com.au/world/kenya-and-uganda-in-fish-fight-over-is...
THIS little island doesn't look like much. It's a slab of rock not even half a hectare big, packed with rusty metal shacks, garbage, fishermen and squads of prostitutes - essentially a micro-slum bathing in the middle of Africa's greatest lake.But Migingo island lies along the disputed watery border between Kenya and Uganda, and politicians have even threatened to go to war over it.
The reason? Fish. Lots of them, but maybe not enough. The island is an angler's paradise, surrounded by schools of tasty - and exportable - Nile perch. But Lake Victoria, one of the world's biggest bodies of fresh water, which 30 million impoverished Africans depend on for their survival, may be running out of these fish.
According to a recent study, Nile perch stocks are down by nearly 70 per cent.
But there may be an even bigger issue here - the rapidly receding lake itself. Water levels have dropped nearly a metre in the past 10 years and algae blooms are choking the fish.
This is irrefutable evidence, environmentalists say, of climate change, overpopulation, pollution, deforestation and other modern ills coming to a head in a part of Africa unprepared to deal with the problems.
At a recent rugby match between Kenya and Uganda, Kenyan fans chanted: ''Migingo, united, can never be defeated.''
In April, Kenyan hooligans ripped up the railway line to Uganda. Fishermen on Migingo say that the Ugandan police prowling the island have been dishing out beatings - and worse, stealing their catches.
The dispute heated up this year when Uganda sent soldiers to claim the island. The Ugandans even planted a flag.
The Ugandan Government claims that Migingo is in Ugandan waters and that it is illegal for Kenyans to fish there.
Each year, Uganda earns more than $A120.2 million exporting Nile perch, though overfishing and environmental mismanagement are imperilling that trade.
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- News, Green, Current Tonight, Max and Jason: Still Up, 1 more
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- Environment, Climate Change, Pollution, Kenya, 5 more
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JanforGore
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It is clear that the human race is overextending itself, and in areas like Kenya, the lack of the means and knowledge to adapt to the changes taking place will result in migrations and war. This requires much more than just giving them solar powered "cell phones." This is what climate treaty meetings are supposed to consider when putting their corporate loving agendas together.
- 6 months ago
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JanforGore
