Hope as war on hyacinth bears fruit : The Standard

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There is a glimmer of hope in the fight against the water hyacinth after it emerged that its infestation on Lake Victoria had drastically reduced.

In the last couple of months, the waters of Lake Victoria have remained clear with only little traces of the stubborn weed, which an institution tasked by the East Africa Community to protect the region’s basin now claims is slowly being eradicated.
Yesterday, Executive Secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission Ali Matano said coverage of the weed across the three East African counties bordering Lake Victoria had dropped to about 10,000 hectares since the invasion first occurred in the 1990s.
“About 30 years ago, the weed covered large swathes of Lake Victoria and covered about 30,000 hectares of the lake, said Mr Matano.
SEE ALSO :Put an end to harassment of fishermen in Lake VictoriaAnd early this year, the stubborn weed rendered Kisumu Port unusable, with several steamers and boats marooned at the port.
Christopher Aura, a director at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, said that more surveys should be conducted.
“Given that the lake appears clear, a practical research should be done to help ascertain the present status of the weed,” said Dr Aura.
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Lake VictoriaHyacinthWater hyacinth

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