Rising Lake Victoria waters disrupt ferry services

Panic has gripped Kalangala Island residents as Lake Victoria water level rises day by day. The situation has also greatly affected ferry services connecting the island to the mainland in Masaka District.

According to the Captain MV Pearl, Mr Alex Tuhaye, increasing water levels are likely to force ferries to suspend services since the docking piers are submerged, thus affecting smooth landing.

Currently, both MV Pearl and MV Ssese ferries have no permanent docking points as sometimes passengers disembark to the nearby swamps.

Mr Tuhaye said the ferries are at risk of hitting huge stones underneath because of the swallow ends at the swamps where they found alternative docking points.

“Passengers are also at risk of drowning as they struggle to walk through the swamp from the docking point to the main exit,” he said.

Mr Tuhaye revealed that water level is rising by three metres every day which has seen the main docking pier at Bukakkata submerged.

Mr John Opondo, the managing director Kalangala Infrastructure services (KIS), said they are expecting a team from Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) within one week to assess the situation and advise accordingly.

Kalangala District Chairperson, Mr Willy Lugoloobi said Unra engineers should swiftly intervene to reduce the risk of losing lives.

“For Nakiwogo and Lutoboka piers, I think Unra can use this period when MV Kalangala is away, to repair them since it’s the main vessel using these piers,” he said.

Kalangala Island currently has one public entry at Bugoma docking pier after other private vessels connecting to the islands through Nakiwogo pier at Entebbe, were suspended last month to curb the spread of coronavirus.

MV Kalangala, which used to connect Entebbe to Kalangala, was last month taken to Mwanza Port in Tanzania for mandatory servicing and it is not yet clear when it will resume normal operations.

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