The national government has launched emergency engineering works in Baringo County to stop Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria from joining up, as the two Rift Valley lakes keep rising ahead of the El Niño rains forecast for the coming weeks.

Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho inspected the works alongside senior officials from the State Department for Irrigation, national government administrators and county technical staff, Citizen Digital reported on Saturday.

The two lakes are very different. Lake Baringo is a freshwater lake, while Bogoria is a hot, salty soda lake known for its flamingos and geysers. Scientists have warned that if they mix, both ecosystems could be badly damaged, along with the fishing and tourism that thousands of residents depend on.

Gap down to seven kilometres

Officials say the land separating the lakes has shrunk from about 22 kilometres a decade ago to roughly seven kilometres today.

According to government estimates cited in the reports:

  • Lake Baringo's water level has risen by about 12 to 14 metres since 2010.
  • The lake has gained an estimated 1.4 to 1.9 billion cubic metres of water over the same period.
  • Its surface area once moved between about 108 and 130 square kilometres depending on the season, but it has grown far beyond that range.

The rising water has submerged farmland and infrastructure and displaced shoreline communities, forcing families to move to higher ground.

Rivers to be returned to old courses

The first phase of the work targets Rivers Loboi and Waseges, which residents and engineers say changed course and now pour more water towards Lake Bogoria. Crews are carrying out river training, desilting and clearing of accumulated sediment to return the rivers to their original channels.

The ministry says it is also building drainage channels to manage excess water, including a controlled release of water from Lake Baringo. A multidisciplinary engineering team led by Irrigation Secretary for Programmes Eng. Michael Thuita is overseeing the work, and more than 96 local residents have been hired for clearing, excavation and plant operation.

Turning a crisis into irrigation

Kimotho's department says the excess water could become an economic opportunity. Preliminary assessments have identified about 250,000 acres that could be put under irrigation, with an initial target of 100,000 acres, subject to feasibility studies.

The Standard and People Daily have previously reported on the wider plan, which has been subjected to public participation and includes a dyke between the two lakes and channels to carry Lake Baringo's surplus water to irrigation schemes. Kimotho has said only excess water from Lake Baringo would be drawn off.

Longer-term options under consideration include water storage, canals and check dams on the rivers feeding the basin.

For lakeside residents who have watched their land disappear, the question is whether the works can move fast enough. Forecasters have warned of more heavy rain in several regions in the coming weeks, which could push the lakes even higher.

Photos: Citizen Digital; Lake Baringo by Petermawe via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.