Countries around Lake Tanganyika intend to raise nearly Sh14 billion to initiate a programme to protect the sustainability of the lake.

Dr Batilda Burian, the minister of State in the Vice President's Office in charge of Environment, yesterday said that the riparian states have ratified a convention on the sustainable management of the lake, in a move aimed at preventing environmental ruin and improve lake-related development efforts.

In the agreement, Tanzania together with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Burundi would contribute at least Sh 349.485 million ($ 303,900) each in the first year of the project.

Ms Burian told a press conference in Dar es Salaam that the agreement was signed towards the end of last month in Bujumbura by the respective ministers from the riparian states, noting that an authority created for the purpose will start its operations by June 30.

"It is my hope that implementation of the project to conserve the environment around the lake would enhance job opportunities," she said.

Lake Tanganyika, believed to be the home of 1,300 species of fish and other 500 invertebrates, currently faces environmental pollution due to waste products from industries and residential areas and due to deforestation.

To contain the pollution on the lake, the countries agreed to implement certain measures from 2002 to 2005 with Tanzania taking up a catchments project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the UNDP at about $2.2 million.

Another was a project to control sewage in Kigoma region with assistance from the facility, through the UNDP. The three year project would cost $300,000 in addition to 6m pounds loan from the Nordic Fund.

The five year fishing and environmental conservation project would cost $7.4 million, this being a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Lake Tanganyika Authority started its work on April 5 last year after the first meeting in Dar es Salaam, dubbed the Dar es Salaam Declaration. In the agreement, Bujumbura was chosen as the headquarters of the Lake Tanganyika Management Committee.

Its key officials include an environmental manager recruited from Burundi, a fishing manager from Tanzania, a monitoring and evaluation manager from Zambia, along with an economy and planning manager from the DRC.