The heartfelt efforts to save the Mara Basin ecosystem from collapse over eight years are far from enough and the river gets shallower, more polluted and more damaged.
The grim announcement was made on September 15 when a delegation from Kenya and Tanzania met near the source of the Mara River.
The Mara River Basin is about 13,750 sqkm (3,397,698 acres) of which 65 per cent is in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.
The Mara Serengeti transboundary ecosystem relies mostly on the Mara River whose origin is the Mau Forest Complex, the largest tributary being the Amalo.
The destruction in the complex has put the basin at risk.
EAC Lake Victoria Basin Commission executive secretary Masinde Bwire said a lot needs to be done to forestal the imminent collapse of the basin.
“We need the completion of the joint transboundary Mara Water allocation plan,” he said.
Water allocation is the process of equitable sharing of available water resources, which is an important component in the management and development of water resources.
The process can help make water available for domestic needs, environmental reserve and socioeconomic development.
A water plan is also important as it ensures water security and reduces water use conflicts.
Bwire also called for completion of a joint catchments conservation plan as well as a joint water user’s platform for sustainable conservation and use of the River Mara.
“There is a need for both Kenya and Tanzania to continue supporting the Mara region in strengthening management approaches and initiatives within the Mara River Basin that are more inclusive from grassroots levels to the national government,” Bwire said.
Kenya and Tanzania signed an MoU on September 15, 2015, on the transboundary use of the Mara River waters.
Both parties agreed to cooperate in sustainable development, management and equitable utilisation of water resources.
They agreed to promote proper land use and management practices commensurate with the eventual sustainable utilisation of basin water resources.
The Kenyan delegation was led by Ministry of East African Community Principal Secretary Dr Kevit Desai while the Tanzanian delegation was led by Major General Suleiman Mzee.
In contrast with the past when Mara Day mostly focussed on awareness creation, this year's commemoration seeks to explore the public-private sector partnership for the management of the River Mara basin.
The day was themed ‘Towards Sustainable Mara River Ecosystem’.
The aim was to shift from awareness to ownership by the private sector and civil society, creating a need for a forum of state and non-state parties to drive forward the Mara ecosystem management.
Besides being the backbone of the Mara-Serengeti tourism spectacle, the River Mara currently sustains the livelihoods of more than 1.1 million people. It also contributes 10 to 15 per cent of the GDP of Kenya and Tanzania.
However, the threats are massive.
The basin is threatened by numerous human activities, including unsustainable agriculture, tree-felling, abstraction of water, pollution and encroachment by human settlements and impacts of climate change.
Usually, the commemorations of the day keep rotating between Kenya and Tanzania.
The previous six editions were held in Narok and Bomet counties.
Bwire and Desai said the two countries must urgently find solutions to the challenges facing the basin
Desai said the multibillion-shilling tourism sector will suffer if action is not taken now.
He singled out the wildebeest migration, one of the wonders of the natural world.
During the migration, more than 1.5 million wildebeests make a daring, perilous journey from Serengeti in Tanzania across the Mara River into the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
On the trip, they are joined by thousands of zebras, elands and gazelles.
Lions and crocodiles wait to make a killing.
The wildebeest migration is deemed the biggest animal show on earth.
Hundreds of tourists throng the jewel for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Desai said the EAC Treaty calls for cooperation among the five partner states namely Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania on shared resources.
According to the treaty, the resources are primary assets and a store of wealth — wildlife, flora and fauna, which if well managed, could contribute to poverty alleviation.
Mzee commended the two countries for the efforts made so far.
He said a lot still needs to be done as the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem also risks collapsing.
(EDITED BY V. GRAHAM)
