Water hyacinth at Lake Naivasha disrupting fishing and tourism . [File, Standard]
The water hyacinth that started as envy to many in Lake Naivasha is now turning into a nightmare, choking the water body and paralysing various economic activities.
The invasive weed has covered nearly a third of the troubled water body, adversely affecting fishing and tourism activities.
Efforts by scientists to introduce beetles to contain the hyacinth years back failed with nutrients from nearby farms and informal settlement blamed for the fast spread of the weed.
According to Grace Nyambura from Lake Naivasha and Lake Oloiden Fisher's Organisation, a lot of attention had been put in Lake Victoria in dealing with the weed.
She said that the operators in Naivasha were also suffering due to the weed, which had now become unmanageable and a nuisance.
“Currently sections of North and South Lake are inaccessible due to the weed which is spreading at an alarming rate, raising anxiety among operators around the lake,” she said.
Nyambura noted that apart from destroying nets, the weed had affected navigation at a time when the lake was recording a high number of local and international tourists.