Meeting Water Pollution
Challenges in the Masai-Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) is within the wider Mara-Serengeti ecoregion (MSE).
MSE covers 25,000 sq Km and lies on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. MMNR was
originally established in 1948. In 1976 discussion was held between Narok County Council
(NCC) and the Government of Kenya where the area coverage was redefined. Currently,
MMNR is managed by NCC and has increasingly become one of the important tourist
destinations in Kenya (fig 2). Tourist arrivals in Masai Mara indicate a marked seasonality.
July and August show the highest bed occupancy; while May recorded the lowest apparently
tourist arrivals in MMNR (Fig 1).
Although tourism in Maasai Mara contributes to the Kenyan economy, it also brings negative
impacts to environment. One of the problems is discharge of waste water from hotels,
camps and lodges into the Mara River causing pollution and impacting people as well as
wildlife dependent on the river water. Water quality analysis conducted from 2006 to 2008
by WWF and Florida International University (FIU) students show pollution in some sections
of Mara River within MMNR. WWF subsequently conducted an inventory which of 28 hotels,
camps and lodges in Maasai Mara had proper waste water management systems and which
did not. Based on the inventory WWF ran an awareness campaign for hotel and camp-site
owners on better ways of waste disposal. During the period, two workshops were held
between hoteliers and officials of the National Environmental Management Authority
(NEMA). NEMA is a Kenyan government institution charged with the responsibility of
environmental management. The workshops considered water pollution from hotels, lodges
and camps and came with resolutions to address the same. Below is a map showing some of
the hotels, lodges and campsites located in the Mara River basin which expressed
willingness to address water pollution through construction of waste water management
systems.
From 2007 to date, all 28 Hotels and Lodges visited by WWF have shown seriousness on
addressing pollution and 9 out of 28 hotels and lodges have started constructing wastewater
management systems. It is encouraging to note that NEMA and Ministry of Water and
Irrigation personnel have been closely supervising and monitoring the same. In 2009, with
USAID financial support, this work is being scaled up to include other key polluters in the
entire Mara River Basin. A concept paper to involve all key polluters has been developed by
WWF in consultation with key stakeholders in Mara, FIU and the USAID Tanzania mission.
The objective of this concept paper is to bring facts on water pollution from point sources to
the table and establish partnerships with key polluters to address pollution in the Mara River
basin. The process to establish this partnership will include organisation and presentation of
concept paper to workshop participants, and then establish partnership modalities and
action plan to address pollution. The workshop will be organised in August 2009 and
partnership is expected to be operational by September 2009.
Lesson Learned: Defensible and credible facts are indisputable and always convincing.
Water quality information collected from point sources with USAID financial support supplied
facts that formed the basis of discussion with hoteliers. Joint workshops created awareness
and hence made hoteliers feel a sense of responsibility to address water pollution.
Involvement of responsible government institutions and facilitation of the same to lead the
process has created government ownership and trust to the hoteliers and communities.