Lake Victoria water level rises to 14 metres – experts
Some of the houses near Bukakata pier which were flooded as a result of the rising water levels in Lake Victoria. PHOTO | DAVID SEKAYINGA
What you need to know:
- Experts say the current rainy season has doubled volumes of water in rivers, which flow into Lake Victoria.
Experts have warned encroachers on the shores of Lake Victoria of the possible destruction of their property due to rising water levels.
In 2020, the Ministry of Water and Environment revealed that the water level on the lake had risen to 13.32 metres. However, Mr Joseph Byaruhaga, the Kalangala District senior environmental officer, says the water level has now reached 14 metres.
Experts say the current rainy season has doubled volumes of water in rivers, which flow into Lake Victoria.
“Water will always flow in the same direction so whoever constructed in the water path should vacate or else they will lose their property in floods,” Ms Naome Karekaho, the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) spokesperson, says.
She says encroachers on river banks and lake shores should prepare for the worst if they don’t vacate now.
“Lake Victoria usually gets 80 percent of its water from direct rainfall that contributes heavily to the increase in the volumes of water,” Ms Karekaho explains.
Environmentalists blame the floods on climate change occasioned by global warming caused by the destruction of the environment.
They also decried the pollution of water bodies.
“Wetlands that receive running rainwater which is released into Lake Victoria basin have been depleted, making it easy for water to flow into the lakes and filling them up faster,” Mr Joseph Byaruhaga, the Kalangala District senior environmental officer, says.
Mr Byaruhanga urges leaders to think about the environment while planning for the areas they manage.
“This will help control human activities in lakes, rivers and areas near the shores,” he adds.
The affected areas include beaches at the Lutoboka Landing Site and docking area for the water transport vessels.
Ms Solome Kasirye, a proprietor of Mweena Farm Beach, says the white sand, which was a key attraction at the facility, was washed away as a result of the rising water levels.
She adds that trees on the beach are rotting.
Mr Derick Braton, the director of Kids, a home for the physically impaired, says a section of the facility’s premises is submerged in water.
He says they placed stones on the lakeshores to try and block the water from flooding the facility but it did not work.
“What used to be a playing ground for our kids and sitting areas are all washed away and we don’t know what to do now,” he says.
