Uganda to reduce water flow from Lake Victoria

KAMPALA – Uganda is gradually reducing the amount of water drawn from Lake Victoria in an effort to restore dwindling levels on Africa’s largest fresh water body, officials said last week.

Environment Minister Kahinda Otafire told AFP that the outflow had already been reduced by 300 million cubic centimetres from 1 100 million cubic centimetres drawn daily to its hydroelectric power stations. “We want to reduce the outflow to the agreed normal curve so that it is as if the Nile was flowing out of Lake Victoria naturally,” Otafire said.Water department officials say that it is expected that within six months of the reduced outflow, the water volume of the lake would have gone back to normal.Last month, a study commissioned by an environmental group accused Uganda of secretly draining water from Lake Victoria, in the midst of a scorching regional drought, to help maintain power for its electricity grid.Kampala was also accused of using more of the lake’s water than was agreed upon 50 years ago under an international pact.The lake, which provides the livelihood for some 30 million people in the shoreline countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, has suffered a dramatic fall in water levels since 2003.Levels have plummeted by 1,2 metres, bringing the lake to its shallowest since 1951, exposing muddy banks that have stranded ferry boats and fishing vessels and causing water shortages for shoreline towns and farmers.A total of 75 cubic kilometres of water, equivalent to about three per cent of the lake’s normal volume, has been lost in just three years.But Uganda blamed the scorching drought, which has put millions of people at the risk of starvation, for the dwindling water levels.- Nampa-AFP”We want to reduce the outflow to the agreed normal curve so that it is as if the Nile was flowing out of Lake Victoria naturally,” Otafire said.Water department officials say that it is expected that within six months of the reduced outflow, the water volume of the lake would have gone back to normal.Last month, a study commissioned by an environmental group accused Uganda of secretly draining water from Lake Victoria, in the midst of a scorching regional drought, to help maintain power for its electricity grid.Kampala was also accused of using more of the lake’s water than was agreed upon 50 years ago under an international pact.The lake, which provides the livelihood for some 30 million people in the shoreline countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, has suffered a dramatic fall in water levels since 2003.Levels have plummeted by 1,2 metres, bringing the lake to its shallowest since 1951, exposing muddy banks that have stranded ferry boats and fishing vessels and causing water shortages for shoreline towns and farmers.A total of 75 cubic kilometres of water, equivalent to about three per cent of the lake’s normal volume, has been lost in just three years.But Uganda blamed the scorching drought, which has put millions of people at the risk of starvation, for the dwindling water levels.- Nampa-AFP