The authorities in Tanzania are investigating the cause of suspected pollution in the Mara River that has turned the water black and left hordes of fish dead.
Union and Environment Minister of State Selemani Jafo announced the formation of an 11-member taskforce after visiting the northern Mukoma district on Sunday.
“This team has a mix of experts from different departments as our aim is to get the real cause of the situation so that we can know what should be done,” Mr Jafo is quoted as saying by local paper The Citizen.
The team has been given seven days to come up with findings and give long- and short-term solutions to address the environmental problem.
The Mara River is within the Mara basin, an ecosystem which straddles Tanzania and neighbouring Kenya.
A local news site reports that the change in the water was noticed earlier this month
The Mara flows from its source in the Kenyan highlands to Lake Victoria on the Tanzanian side, covering some 395km (245 miles).
It serves as the only source of water during the dry season in the basin and the only habitat for the Nile crocodiles. The river is world renowned as the theatre of the spectacular annual wildebeest migration, when more than a million animals migrate in search of fresh pastures.
