About 400 families from Budalangi, in Busia County, have been living at the school since April, when the Nzoia River that flows from Kenya’s western highlands into Lake Victoria burst its banks in the worst flooding the area has seen in decades. After more than a year of unusually heavy rainfall, over 800,000 Kenyans have been displaced by flooding, according to the government. The situation has been made worse by flooded rivers channelling huge volumes of water into Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, causing it to spill over onto its shores – a phenomenon called “backflow”.
Scientists warn that other massive flood events may be ahead as climate change strengthens, and some have urged the three countries that share the lake – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – to work together to put systems in place to lessen flood damage. “There should be a joint effort in dealing with disaster management and preparedness in the lake region,” said Alfred Owuor Opere, a climate and water expert at the University of Nairobi. Management of the dams that regulate the flow of water into Lake Victoria should especially be a regional concern, as the area is expected to receive enhanced rainfall in future, he added.
A year of extraordinarily heavy rains, which started in April 2019 following a drought, pushed the lake’s water level up to 13.4 metres (44 feet) in May, breaking the previous 1964 record, according to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission. In normal years, the lake has an average level of 12 metres. While the waters that burst from the Nzoia have started to recede, the backflow from the lake is still flooding surrounding areas, residents said.
Source: Trust
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