East African Community (EAC) has sounded a warning over the deteriorating health of Lake Victoria, as a new landmark report unveiled at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) reveals deepening ecological stress and escalating human impacts on world’s second largest freshwater lake.

The Preview Edition of the Lake Victoria State of the Basin Report (2025), launched during a high-level side event in Belém, provides the most comprehensive assessment yet of the ecological, socio-economic and governance trends shaping the lake, which supports over 45 million people across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Speaking during the unveiling, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Ariik, said the report marks a culmination of rigorous scientific assessment and a critical call to action to safeguard the lake.

“Despite its immense value, Lake Victoria is under serious threat – declining water quality, biodiversity loss, climate shocks and the pressures of urbanisation and population growth are placing every part of the basin under strain,” he said.

The report cites rapid population growth, industrial effluent discharge, untreated wastewater, agricultural runoff and sedimentation as major contributors to falling water quality.

These pressures have led to eutrophication, oxygen depletion, and the decline of key fisheries that millions rely on for livelihood.

According to the report, biodiversity is under further threat from habitat loss and invasive species, while rising temperatures and extreme weather events are deepening vulnerabilities across agriculture, hydropower generation, and community resilience.

The report also highlights how climate change is amplifying food insecurity, public health risks, and economic instability across the basin.

Developed by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) with technical support from GIZ, the report provides a unified evidence base designed to guide cross-border environmental management and policy interventions.

Much of its data is drawn from the Water Information System (WIS), financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW, under a €60 million multi-phase water resources management programme.

Ariik stressed the need for coordinated and well-financed investments in wastewater treatment, sustainable agriculture, erosion control, wetland restoration, climate-resilient farming, and early warning systems.  He told partner states to empower LVBC with stronger governance and regulatory authority to harmonise action across borders.

“The choices we make today will determine whether Lake Victoria remains a source of life for generations – or whether we allow its decline to continue,” he said.

Representatives from GIZ and KfW attended the ceremony, including Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Managing Director of GIZ and Christiane Laibach, an executive board member at KfW.

Ariik praised Germany’s indispensable technical and financial support in strengthening data systems, capacity-building, and long-term basin monitoring.

Ariik appealed to development partners, private sector players, and civil society to scale up investment in basin restoration and climate resilience, emphasising that the health of Lake Victoria was a regional imperative, central to shared prosperity and stability.

“Let this unveiling be a turning point where political will is matched by financing, and where the people of East Africa witness the benefits of a thriving Lake Victoria,” he said.

The Lake Victoria Basin State of the Basin Report is expected to guide national and regional environmental planning, inform infrastructure investment, and shape climate adaptation strategies across the EAC in the coming years.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Chris Mahandara