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Environment

Raising

water levels

in the Rift

Valley, An aerial photo of flooded villages near Lake Baringo caused by the rising waters

Kenya from the lake.

ive lakes in Kenya’s Great Rift reserve, Lake Bogoria is a major tourist is common in the Naivasha and Nakuru
FValley have swollen to the highest attraction, teaming with hundreds of areas. It is through these structures that
records in recent years, according to a bird species and beautiful landscape, as water drains into the ground.
conservationist. well as geysers and hot springs. Experts opine that the rift valley in
The lakes affected include Naivasha, With both lakes having no known Kenya is opening up at an average rate
Elementaita, Nakuru, Bogoria, Baringo, channels that allow the flow of excess of 2-3mm per year but with a periodicity
and Logipi. Others affected though not water, some scientists have suggested that varies from periods of fast extension
in the main Rift Valley include Lake building a barrier between them. Others and those of low extension. These
Simbi in Homa Bay and Lake Chala in have recommended constructing a canal changes in the rate of extension is
the Coast. for water to flow out of Lake Baringo, controlled by the far-field plate tectonic
The surging water levels years ago which is rising faster and could certainly processes occurring in the mid Indian
saw one of the greatest migrations of contaminate Lake Bogoria. ridge in the east and sub-duction in the
flamingos from Lake Nakuru to Bogoria. Some scientists have explained the Mediterranean Sea in the north.
Few flamingoes can be spotted now. The phenomenon of the rise in the water With normal rainfall, under normal
five lakes in the Rift Valley have swollen levels as being due to effects of regional stress regime, the lake levels maintain
to the highest records in recent years, tectonic movements, which create near- near constant levels that is equilibrium
according to a conservationist. Experts field and far-field compression and when rate of drainage from the lakes
estimate that in the last seven years, Lake tensional stress fields. The near-field and the rate of input are at par. However,
Nakuru has raised to about 9-12 metres stress regime or earth area, will respond during high near-field tensional stress
(30-39 feet).” to the far-field stress regime but with a regime and normal rainfall, ground
The rising waters have displaced more time lag. In our case, the near field is the water seepage would be reduced due
than 5,000 people in 2020, according to Rift Valley that is responding to the pull to decreased porosity associated with
government officials, submerging homes, of the Indian Ocean which is a far field closing of pores and fractures.
schools, roads, hospitals, farmland - body.
and even entire islands. While Climate “Near field” means a localized area is Accordingly, the lakes levels are raising
change and the unusually heavy rains are affected by earth activities. The “far field” due to the current environment of
though as the reason, scientists believe means an earth area that is far away, in increased tectonic plate stress, and the
there are other contributing factors. this case, the Indian Ocean plate whose levels should remain high even with
For instance, lake and Bogoria activities affect the local near field area, normal rainfall until a new steady
- freshwater and alkaline lakes, in this case the Rift Valley.. state is reached. The opposed should
respectively that were 20km (12 miles) The stress field in this sector is therefore bring about the drying up lakes over a
apart, have in recent months narrowed largely classified as near-field tensional period leading to reduction in the levels.
that distance to 13km (eight miles), and is characterized by open normal Otherwise, currently the eastern Africa
according to government officials. Lake faults that have dips into the rift graben. region is under increased near-field
Bogoria is a World Heritage site which at Accordingly, effects of the near-field stress related to changes in global stress
times hosts up to 1.2 million flamingoes. tensional fracture arising from low patterns causing the raising water level
Located on an eponymous national stress fields result in open fractures as phenomenon.

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