Lake Victoria Basin Faces Severe Soil Erosion and Shrinking Wetlands, EAC Ministers Warn

East African Community (EAC) partner states are facing mounting pressure to implement urgent conservation measures following alarming new findings about the ecological health of the Lake Victoria Basin. According to the 2025 State of the Lake Victoria Basin Report, about 42.6 percent of the basin’s catchment area is currently vulnerable to high soil erosion, while vital wetland coverage has plummeted by approximately 33 percent over the last few decades.

The findings were highlighted during the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers for the Lake Victoria Basin in Kisumu, Kenya. Uganda’s Minister for Water and Environment, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, who chaired the session, warned that the basin’s massive economic contributions are in jeopardy. The shared water body generates more than $1.1 billion annually from wild fisheries, supporting the livelihoods of millions of residents across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Delegates pointed to deforestation, rapid urban encroachment, poor land-use management, and climate change as primary drivers of the crisis. Minister Otafiire recalled the devastation caused by the 2020 floods, which submerged roughly 640 square kilometres of Uganda’s shoreline and displaced about 29,000 people. With regional forecasts predicting an increased likelihood of El Niño conditions and above-normal rainfall, leaders stressed the critical need for improved hydro-meteorological monitoring and early warning systems.

To address these challenges, the ministerial council is reviewing several key policy instruments, including the Fifth LVBC Strategic Plan (2026/27–2030/31), which has an estimated budget of $135 million. Additional financial backing includes the Lake Victoria Basin Integrated Water Resources Management Programme and support from the African Development Bank and the World Bank. However, officials emphasized that successful turnaround depends on robust institutional backing, strict follow-through, and concrete regional investments rather than policy design alone.

Read the full story originally reported by Daily Monitor at Daily Monitor.