SHIPPING & LOGISTICS
| November 25th 2021
Stranded fishermen try to navigate their way through a section of Lake Victoria invaded by the water hyacinth.
It is a fact that nowadays the water hyacinth hardly makes news.
The destructive sea weed also rarely makes a subject of debate in environmental discussions. Yet, the spread of the hyacinth has caused devastation; completely crippling transport and logistics on Lake Victoria.
So bad is the situation that a number of ships and fishing boats have been forced to halt their activities after the weed covered huge swathes of the lake, blocking beaches and ports.
Despite efforts made to breathe life into the lake’s maritime trade potential, the stubborn weed remains a threat. Satellite images produced by Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute (KMFRI) indicate that the size of its coverage has been increasing in the last three months.