Kenya, Lake Baringo expands and invades the villages: crocodiles on the roofs

Crocodiles on the roofs of the old resorts now submerged, hippos close to homes and thousands of families constantly fleeing from the water. In the heart of the Rift Valley, about 200 kilometers north-west of Nairobi, the Lake Baringo has reached levels not seen for half a century. A dramatic phenomenon attributed by scientists to the extreme rainfall triggered by climate changewhich is turning the daily life of local communities into a nightmare.

The expansion of the lake

According to an analysis of satellite images conducted by AFP, the surface of Lake Baringo is increased by 70% since 2010going from 138 to the current ones 234 square kilometers. Tens of thousands of inhabitants have been forced to relocate, but the water continues to advance inexorably, chasing environmental refugees even in the new settlements.

The proximity of the basin to inhabited centers has increased the risk of close encounters with wildlife. “There has been an increase in crocodile attacks not because the numbers have increased, but because the lake is now close to the houses”explains Jackson Komenhead of the Kenya Wildlife Service (Kws).

At the same time, attacks by hippos have also increased, driven towards the villages by the disappearance of their usual grazing areas which ended up under water. An emergency that also affects schools closely: on the island of Kokwa, water submerged the fence of the girls’ dormitory of an elementary school, forcing the institute to hire two armed guards to prevent night-time incursions.

The risk of an ecological disaster

It’s not just Lake Baringo that worries experts. The neighbor lake bogoria it grew by 21% in the same period, expanding from 34 to 41 square kilometers. The banks of the two basins are now just about ten kilometers apart and scientists fear the point of no return: a possible reunion of the waters.

Baringo is in fact a freshwater basin, while Bogoria has highly saline and alkaline waters. Mixing them would cause the death of fish, crocodiles and hippos, destroying the main source of drinking water, fishing and irrigation in the area. Second Mathew Herrneggerresearcher at the BOKU University of Vienna, satellite altimetric data show that the transfer between the two basins may even have already begun.

Tourism on its knees

The rising waters also dealt a very hard blow to the local economy:

• Submerged nature reserves: Around 80% of community protected areas have gone under water, requiring the emergency relocation of giraffes, ostriches and impalas.
• Resorts destroyed: Four hotel complexes on the banks of the Baringo are now almost completely submerged.
• Damage in Bogoria: The advance of the water has pushed away the famous pink flamingos and submerged the famous hot geysers.
• Collapse of takings: Annual tourist revenues have plummeted to around 200,000 euros, or a fifth of what they were in the past.

With the arrival of the new rainy season, the inhabitants live in desperation. “We are helpless”tells Faith Mpayeia mother of five who has been forced to move her home fence twice since 2016. “There’s nothing left to do here, I just have to move”.