Lake Tanganyika has a green color since the morning of September10. Some residents of Bujumbura say it is the first time they observe such a phenomenon. They fear that the lake has become polluted. “I’m afraid to touch the lake water since it has become green. I think that it is harmful to our health, “said a Bujumbura resident met on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, near Bujumbura Global Port.
Lake Tanganyika water colored in green
Professor Gaspard Ntakimazi, expert in hydrobiology explains that the green color of the Lake Tanganyika waters is a natural phenomenon that is often observed at the end of the dry season. “This is a phenomenon that has been known since the scientific research on Lake Tanganyika began in 1940. Every year, at the end of the dry season when the prevailing southerlies stop, the nutrient-rich Lake Tanganyika waters rise on the surface which causes a development of algae,” says Ntakimazi.
He adds that this natural phenomenon is responsible for the wealth of Lake Tanganyika including fish productivity. “The coloring in green will last two to three weeks,” says the expert.
As for the Director of Water at the Burundian company that supplies water and electricity (REGIDESO), he says the water the company gets from Lake Tanganyika is clean. He says Bujumbura residents who use the water distributed by REGIDESO should not worry. Lake Tanganyika is the main reservoir for REGIDESO. Over 90% of water supplied to citizens in the capital Bujumbura is taken from Lake Tanganyika.
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