Nakuru Deputy Governor Dr Erick Korir addressing participants during the opening of the International Workshop for Integrated Lake Basins management(ILBM) in Africa at a Nakuru Hotel. [Photo: Suleiman Mbatiah]
Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has called for integration of all regional, national and county policies that relate to the governance of natural resources and societal actions for sustainable management of the environment.
In a speech read by his deputy Dr Erick Korir during the official opening of the International Workshop for Integrated Lake Basins Management (ILBM) in Africa in Nakuru, Kinyajui said that lakes have a great variety of resource whose sustainable development and use require special management considerations.
“The Lake Basin Management strategy aims to provide an integrated framework for the sustainable management and use of Lake Basin resources through informing policie, strategies, plans and programs as well as to guide coordinated agency actions,” he said.
He also called for public participation, use of appropriate and practical technologies, financial mobilization and use of data for evidence-based decision making towards Lake Basin conservation and governance.
On his part, Deputy Director General, International Lake Environment Committee professor Masahisa Nakamura said good basin management of a lake can be realized only through ILBM, or continuous improvement of lake basin governance, that integrates institution, policy, participation, science, technology and finance.
Professor Masahisa decried that SDG 6 which calls for clean, accessible water for all might not be achieved by 2020.
He called for concerted efforts to ensure that local lakes are well managed.
“I know the SDGs number 6 that we have to achieve by 2020 but then there is need for more effort in order to achieve such," he said.
Approximately 70 per cent of all water abstracted from rivers, lakes and aquifers is used for irrigation.