Kampala — A group of civil society organisations and stakeholders in the sustainable development of L. Victoria Basin came together recently to find ways of protecting the lake from pollution. The meeting was held at Hotel Triangle in Kampala.

They named ship transport, factories, communities on the lake shores and flower gardens as the main causes of pollution and called for stringent laws to address the problem.

The environmentalists said during the Legislative Assembly session in Arusha when the transport and navigation bill was discussed, it was passed quickly without giving time to the public and CSOs to give their input.

They lamented at the rate at which discharges from specific boats were polluting the lake.

Kefa Sengendo Kaweesa, the regional national coordinator for the East African Communities' Organisation for Management of L.Victoria Resources asked the concerned governments to address the problem fast.

He explained that over 30 million people around L. Victoria were surviving on resources from the lake. Kaweesa noted that pollution could lead to drying of the lake.

"We should not wait for that to happen as it will mean loss of jobs and suffering for all communities around the lake. Fish which is not only food to many, but also source of income and foreign exchange should be saved," he said.

He called for sensitisation of communities living around the lake to stop activities like washing of cars and disposal of garbage and human waste into the lake.