Newsletter / Blog
2011-07-22 Lake Natron - Roads could have detrimental effects on the ecology of Lake Natron
Lake Natron is located in northern western Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border, in the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley. The lake is a salt lake and is fed by the Ewaso Ng'iro River and the mineral-rich hot springs. It is less
than three meters deep, and varies in width depending on its
water level, which changes due to high levels of evaporation, leaving
high levels of salt and other minerals. The surrounding country is dry
and receives irregular rainfall. Temperatures in the lake can reach 50
degrees Celsius and depending on rainfall, the
alkalinity can reach a pH of 9 to 10.5
The color ranges from deep red in the open water and orange in the shallow parts of the lake.
The lake is an important habitat for Flamingo's and is home to endemic algae, invertebrates and even fish that can survive in the salty water.
The lake is the only regular breeding area in East Africa for the 2.5 million endangered Lesser Flamingo - Phoenicopterus minor.
Threats to the salinity balance from increased fresh water influxes will come from more projected logging in the Natron watersheds and a planned hydroelectric power plant on the Ewaso Ng'iro across the border in Kenya.
Although development plans include construction of a dike at the north
end of the lake to contain the fresh water, the threat of dilution to
this breeding ground may still be serious. There is no formal
protection.
A new threat to Lake Natron is the proposed development of a soda ash
plant on its shores. The plant would pump water from the lake and
extract the sodium carbonate to convert to washing powder for export.
Accompanying the plant would be housing for over 1000 workers, and a
coal fired power station to provide energy for the plant complex. In
addition, there is a possibility the developers may introduce a hybrid
brine shrimp to increase the efficiency of extraction. Conservation organizations and local communities worry that the
construction of roads to connect major cities in the region could have
detrimental effects on the ecology of Lake Natron and could be used as
an incentive to revive plans to build a soda ash plant at Lake Natron.
According to Chris Magin, the RSPB's international officer for Africa
'The chance of the lesser flamingoes continuing to breed in the face of
such mayhem are next to zero. This development will leave lesser
flamingoes in East Africa facing extinction'. Currently a group of more
than 50 East African conservation and environmental institutions are
running a world wide campaign to stop the planned construction of the
soda ash factory by Tata Chemicals Ltd of Mumbai, India and National
Development Corporation of Tanzania. The group working under the
umbrella name Lake Natron Consultative Group is being co-ordinated by
Ken Mwathe, Conservation Programme Manager at BirdLife International's
Africa Secretariat.
As per communication as on June 2008 Tata Chemicals shall not proceed
with the Natron Project and further re-examination of this project will
be subject to the Ramsar Wetlands plan which is currently under
preparation.
Because of its unique biodiversity, Tanzania named the Lake Natron Basin to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance on July 4, 2001. The lake is also the World Wildlife Fund East African Halophytics ecoregion.
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