Nakuru, Lake (Kenya)

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park. About 10,000 years ago, Lake Nakuru, together with neighboring Lake Elementaita and Lake Bogoria, formed one single, deep freshwater lake that eventually dried up, leaving the three lakes as remnants. In 2011 the three lakes were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Kenya Lake System of the Great Rift Valley. Water levels in Lake Nakuru have varied considerably, with the lake almost drying up several times over the past 50 years. A significant drop happened in the early 1990s. In 2013, levels again increased rapidly, leading to the migration of many flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search of food supply. Between 2010 and 2020 Lake Nakuru increased in surface area from 40 to 68 square kilometres (15 to 26 sq mi). 677 households, parts of Nakuru town and some National Park areas had been flooded. Since 2021, there has been an alarming increase in the rising water levels at the lake caused by climate change. This upsurge of water levels led to displacement of animals from the park and destruction of property, submersion of the main entrance gate and other park infrastructure.[1] [2] Lake Nakuru's surface area expanded roughly 37% between 2011 and 2021 (from a previous of 43 km2 to 68 km2), this was majorly driven by documented shift in Indian Ocean moisture rather than local rainfall alone. Lake Nakuru is protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.