ABSTRACT
Water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes,has become an imposing and dominant component of the marginal ecotones of sheltered shores of Lakes Kyoga and Victoria as well as along the River Nile, within less than three years after the weed was first reported in 1988 and 1990 on the shores of the respective lakes. The negative impacts of the weed on nearshore environments and on the attendant human interests have just began to show and have yet to be studied and quantified. In this contribution, the rapid proliferation of water hyacinth on Lake Victoria and associated Lake Kyoga is illustrated. It confirms earlier predictions of a looming impact of infestation by the weed on the water environment, aquatic biodiversity and socioeconomic activities, if control is not effected.
