ARUSHA, Tanzania, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- East African scientists and researchers have been urged to come up with new approaches to address challenges facing Lake Victoria, such as illegal fishing, water hyacinth, and discharge of industrial waste into the water body.
Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan made the call on Wednesday in Mwanza city when speaking at the two-day Environmental Research and Scientific Conference, organized by EAC's Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBCON2017).
The conference is themed: "Harnessing science and research for improved collaborative management of trans-boundary resources in the Lake Victoria Basin."
The meeting which is meant to seek collective measures to address challenges facing the Africa's largest freshwater lake brought on board researchers and scientists from the five member states of the East African Community (EAC) -- Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
Samia cited destruction of forest cover and use of poor agricultural methods as among the key issued that has led to silting that has destabilized the waters in the lake, noting: "This has held back the great economic benefits that come with activities like fishing which is relied on by millions of people across the riparian states."
"I am confident that this conference will be a catalyst in raising new and better methods of dealing with the ongoing environmental challenges facing the lake which employ millions of people across the region," she said.
Samia added that conservation and protection of Lake Victoria should be the focus of the meeting.
She said that there was need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in EAC to tackle the menace of environmental degradation and protecting the basin for the community's sake.
She added that Lake Victoria basin has continued to face a number of challenges whereby the lake users like fishermen have difficulties accessing fishing sites due to the obnoxious plant that blocked.
Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) was instituted by the East African Community to protect and steer development agendas in the lake basin.
