Changes in Lake Victoria’s Hydrology, Water Quality, and Livelihoods - EFD-MAK Policy Brief

Aug 31, 2026

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Lake Victoria serves as a transboundary natural resource supporting freshwater supply, fisheries, irrigation, drinking water, industry, tourism, and transport across Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. Long-standing environmental degradation includes rising lake levels and moving islands, encroachment and violation of a 200 m buffer zone, worsening waste and plastic pollution, weak enforcement of fishing controls, and political interference. A one-day policy dialogue in Jinja District highlights the need for deeper transboundary cooperation and effective regulation, community involvement, and conservation plans to restore fish fauna and improve water quality.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction and Context

Key Messages

Policy Dialogue

CHANGES IN LAKE VICTORIA’S HYDROLOGY, WATER QUALITY, AND LIVELIHOODS EFD-MAK POLICY BRIEF Executive Summary Lake Victoria is a transboundary natural resource, underpinning the economies and livelihoods of the population within the wider catchment area of Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. The lake acts as a source of fresh water, fishing, a waste repository and provides food, energy, water for irrigation, industry, drinking, tourism and within and cross border transportation. However, the lake and its surrounding areas has faced many challenges including rising lake water levels, moving islands, encroachment, ecological and biodiversity degradation which is evident in the probable extinction of several fish species. It is upon this background that EfD Makerere Centre organized a one-day policy dialogue on the changes of Lake Victoria hydrology, water quality and livelihoods in Jinja District, Uganda. During the dialogue, it was noted that the buffer zone of 200 m away from the lake as requirement by NEMA has been widely violated and as a result, there is a lot of encroachment on the lake by investors, industries, farmers and settlers. Increasing pollutants in form of polythene bags, plastics and untreated wastes continue to pollute the lake. Political interferences, poor fishing methods, ineffective lake monitoring and poor implementation of the existing laws on the management and utilization of the lake were noted. The dialogue thus resolved that there should be deepened transboundary cooperation on the management of the lake, tackling point and non-point source pollution. A coherent plan for conservation and rehabilitation of the fish fauna in the Lake Victoria needs to be developed. The general public should be involved in the management of the lake and the buffer zone size of 200m away from the lake observed. Introduction and context Lake Victoria Basin is a critical transboundary natural resource, supporting the economies and livelihoods of the people within the wider catchment area and acts as a waste repository and provides food, energy, irrigation water, drinking water, tourism and transport services. The lake basin has a total area of 194,200 Km2 and is shared by Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. A population of approximately 45 million lives in the basin, with roughly 80% of it reliant on rain-fed agriculture and livestock for its livelihood. According to Awange et al. (2014), more than 200,000 fishermen and their families depend on daily catches for their basic needs and the fishing industry is estimated to provide direct employment to more than 800,000 people and is estimated to contribute about 2 to 3% to the GDPs of the lake basin economies. Being the source of the river Nile, the lake also supports the livelihoods of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan. Moreover, it is the primary modulator of the great lakes region’s climate (Njiru et al., 2008). Despite its importance, Lake Victoria basin has and is still undergoing intense environmental degradation for decades, resulting in significant ecological and economic challenges. From an ecological view, Lake Victoria has experienced profound ecological degradation which is evident in the probable extinction of several species of endemic fishes, an average loss of 10.8% in species richness has recently been reported (Soesbergen et al., 2019). Rapid population growth, agricultural expansion, urbanization, poor physical planning and industrialization have mounted extreme pressure on the lake and its basin’s ecosystems, and have led to the degradation of lands and the loss of wetlands and forests near the lake. In addition, terrestrial biodiversity has been adversely affected by the loss of natural habitats. Insufficient monitoring and weak enforcement of regulations on illegal- and over-fishing activities on the lake have reduced fish stocks, which threaten crucial livelihoods and food security of the people. Water pollution KEY MESSAGES Lake Vi

FAQs

What key challenges affect Lake Victoria according to the policy brief?

The brief highlights ecological and biodiversity degradation, declining fish biomass and exports, rising water levels and moving islands, untreated waste pollution, sedimentation linked to catchment and buffer zone encroachment, and related socioeconomic impacts such as poverty and high crime rates.

Why is the 200 m buffer zone important and what problem has been observed?

The brief notes that NEMA’s 200 m buffer zone requirement is widely violated, enabling encroachment by investors, industries, farmers, and settlers and increasing pollution and habitat pressure around the lake.

What solutions does the policy dialogue call for?

It calls for strengthened transboundary cooperation, tackling both point and non-point source pollution, empowering local communities and media for protection, enforcing laws for fishing and waste disposal, managing the lake as a transboundary resource, and developing a coherent conservation and rehabilitation plan for fish fauna.

Aug 31, 2026

Upload by Riley