Lake Olbolosat begins to show signs of life after the long rains

The recent long rains have brought a glimmer of hope for the restoration of Lake Olbolosat. The lake's water capacity has increased to 40 per cent, a significant improvement from its previous level of less than 10 per cent in March.

The sole highland lake in central Kenya had completely dried up, resulting in increased conflicts between the local community and hippos. This situation changed with the onset of the El Nino rains.

"The boats are back, there are vibrant activities within the lake and visitors are back. Last weekend, we attended to more than 300 customers visiting to enjoy the serene environment, boat riding, hippos, and bird watching. We need to sustain the pace," said Mr David Ng'ang'a, the Lake Olbolosat Beach Management Unit (BMU) chairperson.

Mr Ng'ang'a applauded the community's efforts to restore the lake, saying the journey will be more fruitful if every community member joins the efforts.

He further called on the county and national government to support the community’s campaigns to reach all the lake’s catchment areas.

"We have some underground water tunnels running as far as Mirangine and Ndondori Hills that empty into Lake Olbolosat," said Mr Ng'ang'a.

Lake Olbolosat's catchment areas include Satima escarpments to the east and Ndundori-Tumaini ridge to the west. It also gets its water from direct rainfall, underground springs and rivers that flow from Ol Joro Orok area.

"We cannot classify this as flood water. The rains are heavy, so the amount of inflowing water is also massive, that is why it looks more like flood water," said Prof John Githaiga, an environmental expert at the University of Nairobi.

Prof Githaiga added that the water flows into the lake in a spectacular and muddy state due to different factors. He noted that the impacts of prolonged drought and overgrazing on the environment around the lake have affected the inflow.

He was concerned that after the heavy rains stop, the lake's present water level may fall due to inefficient catchment and reduced water holding capacity, causing it to dry again during the dry season.

"Having water today would not mean that the lake has been revived. We need to ensure that the water is there and continues coming into the lake for a prolonged period. That is why we have to restore and manage our ecosystem so that we do not go through this periodic dry and flooding time again.”

Forest conservation, according to environmentalists, sustains ecosystems. While the community around Lake Olbolosat has planted trees that have yielded fruit in the lake's restoration, there are concerns about the lake not achieving its full restoration due to harmful trees like eucalyptus planted around it.

Some residents have been reported to be reluctant to uproot the eucalyptus trees.

The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has listed Lake Ol Olbolosat among the priority wetlands because of its unique features.

Caroline Muriuki, principal wetlands officer at Nema, said the wetland restoration strategy aims to direct efforts towards saving the lake.

"The lake supports five other counties downstream. So, if we lose it, then we are losing the Ewaso Nyiro River, which supports five other counties downstream and, significantly, the pastoralist community. That is why it is a priority for us to see to it that the lake is restored," Ms Muriuki told participants during a science café organised by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture in Nairobi.

This is the first-ever wetland restoration strategy developed by Nema. Ms Muriuki said the legal framework will guide activities done by different players in wetlands management and conservation. One of the activities she hopes to achieve is uprooting eucalyptus trees around the lake.

"Planting the eucalyptus on the riparian areas of wetlands is more destructive than helpful to the wetland. As much as we want vegetation cover, specific vegetation can be planted on those riparian areas to help conserve the wetlands," said Ms Muriuki.

She encouraged planting bamboo trees around the lake because they have diverse benefits for the ecosystem and support community livelihood.

"Bamboo has a commercial value. It is also good in holding the ground around the riparian land that is usually losing soil that ends up in the wetlands and causes siltation and shallowing of the wetlands, which is now happening at Lake Olbolosat.”

Her sentiments were shared by Mr Wachira Mugo, Nyandarua’s Water, Environment, Climate Change and Tourism Executive.

"The lake is facing serious challenges of siltation, water abstraction from Aberdare Forest and River Malewa, encroachment and grabbing, and many other challenges that are about to fast consume the highlands lake in Kenya," said Mr Mugo.

However, Jabes Okumu, programmes and advocacy manager at The East African Wild Life Society, warned that the return of Lake Olbolosat, due to its shallow depth, may expose the population to flooding disasters.

"We are likely to witness an increase in the flood plains and expose communities around that area to flooding. Wetlands are meant to regulate water flow, and by the time it starts to flood, it means the carrying capacity of that wetland is exhausted, so the water has to flow," said Mr Okumu.

He added that it is not yet time for the community to celebrate the lake's rebirth. He said the 40 per cent water capacity might diminish when the heavy rains stop, which might affect water quality and the ongoing activities within the lake.

He added that their research shows that when the lake dried, people blocked the water from streaming into it through farming activities and domestic use. He is concerned that history might repeat itself once the heavy rainfall stops.

"Drying of the lake is a complex thing. Beyond it being shallow and at a high altitude, we also have a lot of anthropogenic pressures. Out of the over 10 springs and streams that we marked, we found a lot of water abstraction, leaving the lake with little water supply," said Mr Okumu.

[email protected] and [email protected]