Water hyacinth continues to be the bane of fishermen in Lake Victoria

Fishermen and navigators consider water hyacinths as a threat to their business but basket weavers around Lake Victoria say they have just discovered gold.

The weavers use the weed to make baskets and make money out of it and are calling on authorities not to get rid of the weed from Lake Victoria.

Water hyacinth makes fishing and navigation very difficult and fishermen around Lake Victoria have been battling against the weed for years and there are no signs that the battle will be won soon.

It is likely that the fight against water hyacinth will continue and those advocating against the weed will have to find an alternative. Over a million people from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda depend on Lake Victoria to make a living from fishing.

All three governments are working hard to deal with the weed which has caused a lot of fishing problems amongst fishermen.

Lake Victoria has been under severe pressure for many years as a result of over-fishing and pollution, with climate change affecting the fishermen in the most adverse manner.

In other news, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission's Executive Secretary Tom Okurut said that a new US$257.2 million project is being launched to manage the lake basin.

The project will look at water and sanitation, marine communication and safety issues.

Raphael Mweninguwe