Rising lake waters and nature's fury that we should all take note

I visited Lake Bogoria about 30 years ago. The memories include boiling eggs in hot springs and watching geysers erupt into the air. Last weekend I returned to the lake.

The road from Nakuru to the lake is lonely compared with the Nakuru-Nairobi roads. After Kabarak, everything changes; it becomes more rural and hotter. 

Kampi ya Moto, Mogotio, Emening, Kimose, Radat (famous for honey), Junction, Ironga, Kaptombes, Kapkuikui and finally Lake Bogoria. Anthills added fun to the lonely drive. Was Chinua Achebe inspired by such hills in his book, “Anthills of the Savanah”?  

A green belt near the lake caught my attention. It’s about irrigation and a microclimate. Tomatoes are harvested and taken to the market by Toyota Probox cars.

Plenty of cows (not dairy), goats and donkeys, plus zebras, made this place lively. A swamp near Lake Bogoria Hotel signified that life is water. Both domestic and wild animals congregate near water and seem to be in harmony.

Zebras represented the animal kingdom, not sure voluntarily.

 Archaeological sites nearby made the place more visitable. The rocky landscape could have been a great hiding place for prehistoric man. The landscape across the lake to the east looked beautiful, treeless, rocky and arid. Clearly, there should be a reward for successfully living in this landscape.

 I finally got to the lake. What struck me first was the submerged houses. The locals explained how the lake started rising some years ago. David Rutto, a resident, says the levels began rising about five years ago.

He added that prayers, both religious and traditional, did not stop the levels rising.  He heard from elders that the levels had risen in the past. 

Rutto listed what was submerged. A dispensary, a private school, houses, two churches, shops, an airstrip, hotels, a road, and the gate to the national reserve. We could see the rooftops. The owners had title deeds to the submerged land. They are now displaced.

Where are the geysers? I asked? They are covered by the water, I was told. Why are the lakes’ levels rising? Lake Nakuru, Naivasha, Bogoria, and other Rift Valley lakes have their water levels rising too. Why not Lake Ol Bollosat near Nyahururu?

El Niño rains

Explanation for rising levels includes tectonic movements. Others have suggested deforestation has led to siltation, which in turn has raised water levels.

The rising waters raise some hard questions - is this the lagged effect of El Niño rains?

The rising lake levels beyond displacement will affect tourism. Think of dead geysers? And some birds like flamingos. Where did the locals go after nature displaced them?   

The rising levels raise some hard questions. Is the planet annoyed with us?  Is nature furious with us? Have we strained the earth, and it’s hitting back?

What’s the effect of covering so much of the earth with concrete? Tarmac? What’s the effect of removing geothermal steam from the bowels of planet Earth? Burning so many fossil fuels? And what happens after Donald Trump revokes the landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health, declaring it a New Green Scam?

What makes the rising levels more perplexing is the lack of snow or ice. The sea levels could rise because of melting glaciers and ice caps in the north and south poles.

But there’s nothing to melt in the tropics. The water from Mount Kenya or Kilimanjaro’s snow cannot reach these lakes. David Ruto thinks the water is coming from underground. But from where?  

The rising lake waters signal our planet is in peril. We must manage it. We focus too much on the demand side, resources for the rising population. 

The supply side is limited: land to farm, minerals, and other resources, including rare earth metals. Striking that balance has become difficult. 

The supply and demand for earthly resources is complicated further by our socio-political systems. They do not always act in the interest of the planet and its citizens.

One reason it’s so hard to address ecological problems like rising lake levels and global warming is that policymakers and our leaders are shielded from the negative consequences of earthly problems. 

If the lake or sea levels rise, they can easily relocate to another place. Drought can lead to higher food prices that they can afford

. The rest of us argue that we are all passing through this planet, so there is no need to worry. 

The general belief is that we are on this planet too briefly to worry about the forces that shape it and have no control over.

The changes used to come gradually and gave us time to adjust. The changes are now too fast and too global. Who can hide from climate change?

The rising lake levels demonstrate why we all must confront the global problems together. Did I hear Lake Bogoria and Baringo might one day join with disastrous consequences, one is fresh water, and the other is salty?

Catchment areas

Prof Gordon Tanui, head of integrated natural resource management secretariat at the Executive Office of the President, suggests we should build a dyke to stop the lakes from joining.

In addition, he suggested we build check dams upstream to reduce the velocity of water while planting trees in the catchment areas of the two other lakes. Curiously, we are used to falling lake and dam levels, not rising levels. That is why we need new solutions and innovations.

The small acts, by each of us, can contribute to either enhancing the welfare of the planet or making it worse. What is your contribution either way? 

The simple fact is that planet Earth is the only habitable planet; we must take care of it, in our small ways as individuals or institutions. If we do not, we shall all be losers. 

The rising Rift Lakes are a warning sign. The rising lake levels demonstrate our helplessness against nature’s fury.  Let’s not annoy nature any further.