Endorheic freshwater lakes can be vital water resources for sustaining large populations. However, their land-locked nature can lead to overexploitation and long-term sediment accumulation, reducing water storage and quality. Lake Naivasha supports a rapidly expanding population and agricultural industry. Therefore, maintaining good water storage and quality within this endorheic lake is crucial for the Kenyan economy and population. The lake has a long history of level fluctuations and the region is considered to be suffering from a chronic imbalance between water supply and demand.

This study quantifies the sediment deposition rate and its impact on Lake Naivasha's water levels and volume, using inexpensive remote sensing techniques that could be easily replicated for future monitoring.

Evidence of sedimentation in the northern area averaging 23 mm yr⁻¹ was identified, which is likely annually displacing between 40.2 – 576 × 10³ m³ of water. The volume displaced each year is equivalent to the water required to sustain between 40 – 1152 people. These results imply that current abstraction management, based purely upon lake level readings that govern a ‘traffic lights’ system, are detrimental to the long-term survival of the lake. The results also imply that lake health is decreasing. We recommend that future monitoring of this water resource and all endorheic lakes consider measurements of available water volume in combination with lake level data using the remote sensing methods we describe.

内流淡水湖可能是维持大量人口的重要水资源。然而，它们的内陆性质会导致过度开发和长期沉积物积累，从而降低蓄水量和水质。奈瓦沙湖支持着快速增长的人口和农业产业。因此，在这个内流湖中保持良好的储水和水质对肯尼亚的经济和人口至关重要。该湖水位波动的历史由来已久，该地区被认为长期处于供水和需求之间的不平衡状态。

这项研究使用廉价的遥感技术量化了沉积物沉积速率及其对奈瓦沙湖水位和水量的影响，这些技术可以很容易地复制用于未来的监测。

确定了北部地区平均 23 mm yr ^-1的沉积证据，这可能每年置换 40.2 – 576 × 10 ³ m³ 的水。每年流离失所的水量相当于维持 40 至 1152 人所需的水量。这些结果表明，当前的抽象管理，纯粹基于管理“红绿灯”系统的湖水位读数，不利于湖泊的长期生存。结果还表明湖泊健康正在下降。我们建议未来对该水资源和所有内流湖泊的监测考虑使用我们描述的遥感方法结合湖泊水位数据测量可用水量。