The persistence in human activities in Nakuru County and poor solid waste management and disposal are threatening Lake Nakuru National Park which is one of the famous national parks ion the country that from the time immemorial has hosted thousands of tourist to the region
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) leaders and local civil society groups have called on the county government to ban or provide proper disposal methods for the wastes to curb the threats to the park. The senior Warden Dickson Ritan said that plastic bags are also threatening aquatic life in the lake.
“If this continues , the lake will eventually become too toxic to sustain aquatic life. Other wildlife animals are also at the risk of eating the plastic which will definitely lead to their deaths,” said Mr Ritan.
A recent report indicated that in 2015 alone, over 20 tonnes of plastic waste were collected on the shores of Lake Nakuru.
This is in addition to encroachment that has led to a destruction of the park. The park is among top international and local tourism destinations in the country. Mr Ritan blamed increased deaths of aquatic life to poor solid waste disposal and dumping.
“The county government should move with speed to arrest the situation because pollution from plastic bags is a major threat to the park,” Mr Ritan added.
The warden added that the increasing human population in Nakuru Town as the major cause of increased pollution saying the use of plastic containers had shot up.
He called on Governor Kinuthia Mbugua to encourage investment in the plastic waste management saying that if nothing is done in the near future, the situation will worsen.