Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka (Ten)Biafra, Mbarara, Western Uganda.
WHILE Uganda attributes the dropping level in Lake Victoria to several factors including climate change, Kenya and Tanzania blame the decline on the over-draining of the water for hydro-electric power production by Uganda.
Between 2004 and 2006, the lake’s water level dropped by 1.5 metres, while its 3,200-kilometre shoreline receded by up to 200 metres in some areas over the same period. The East African countries blame Uganda for consuming much of the water through hydro power generation dams. Asterisk
NEMA’s western Uganda regional environmental awareness officer, Jeconious Musingwire says, ‘The dam does not affect the volume flow; it creates a reservoir, which holds water for some period and releases it at some point. The water volume almost remains constant but the discharge or velocity is the one that is intercepted by the dams.’
The study, jointly done by the UK Institute of Hydrology and the Tanzanian University of Dar-Es-Salaam, reportedly attributes the reducing water level to the opening of the Kiira Dam, which more than doubled the amount of water released.
The blame is not the dams in Uganda but cuts across to other riparian countries (countries sharing River Nile), namely: Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Congo, for they have interfered with the water catchment areas like the disintegration of wetlands.
Apart from DR Congo, all other riparian countries, which are a big water catchment for River Nile, have destroyed wetlands, which are recharging potential for the rivers. Wetlands discharge water to the river at a regulated and constant water flow.
Due to massive destruction of wetlands, water now runs on bare land like it does on a roof thus causing floods! As a consequence, there is sedimentation in most rivers and lakes! The heaping silt has turned water bodies muddy, leading to the water loss.
The way forward: eco-system services. Nile basin countries should put aside money for restoring the eco-system services to bolster water-shed management such as restoring degraded wetlands, promoting tree planting, conserving tropical rain forests and carrying out environmental impact assessments before any construction takes place.
According to Prof. Tickodri Togboa of Makerere University Faculty of Technology, the water level in Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest fresh water lake – was declining mainly because the inflow into the lake reduced by 40% between 2004 and 2006.
‘The water level should have dropped by only 3mm per day when Nalubaale and Kiira are fully open. Kiira (an extension of Owen Falls Dam) and Nalubaale combined have a capacity of 2,150 cubic metres per second. So the release of 4,000 cubic metres per second would have had an overflow and damaged the infrastructure, which was not the case. So other factors, mainly evaporation, were responsible for the water loss,’ he said.
Since October 22, 2006, the lake level has gained by about one metre from 10.43m to now 11.4m and that the rise is expected to continue for the next four to five years.
Other lakes within Eastern Africa such as Rukwa, Tanganyika in Tanzania and Turkana and Nakuru in Kenya – also suffer dropping levels yet they are not used to produce hydro-power.
Uganda demands a comprehensive study on water use by Kenya and Tanzania; the other two East African countries sharing the 69,480-square kilometre lake (see The New Vision of January 27, 2009).
As Uganda waits for the comprehensive study, let Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania join hands and restore degraded wetlands, promote tree planting, conserve tropical rain forests and make environmental impact assessments a compulsory requirement for any developer intending to carry out development – anywhere: be it in town or village. Thank you!
Between 2004 and 2006, the lake’s water level dropped by 1.5 metres, while its 3,200-kilometre shoreline receded by up to 200 metres in some areas over the same period. The East African countries blame Uganda for consuming much of the water through hydro power generation dams. Asterisk
NEMA’s western Uganda regional environmental awareness officer, Jeconious Musingwire says, ‘The dam does not affect the volume flow; it creates a reservoir, which holds water for some period and releases it at some point. The water volume almost remains constant but the discharge or velocity is the one that is intercepted by the dams.’
The study, jointly done by the UK Institute of Hydrology and the Tanzanian University of Dar-Es-Salaam, reportedly attributes the reducing water level to the opening of the Kiira Dam, which more than doubled the amount of water released.
The blame is not the dams in Uganda but cuts across to other riparian countries (countries sharing River Nile), namely: Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Congo, for they have interfered with the water catchment areas like the disintegration of wetlands.
Apart from DR Congo, all other riparian countries, which are a big water catchment for River Nile, have destroyed wetlands, which are recharging potential for the rivers. Wetlands discharge water to the river at a regulated and constant water flow.
Due to massive destruction of wetlands, water now runs on bare land like it does on a roof thus causing floods! As a consequence, there is sedimentation in most rivers and lakes! The heaping silt has turned water bodies muddy, leading to the water loss.
The way forward: eco-system services. Nile basin countries should put aside money for restoring the eco-system services to bolster water-shed management such as restoring degraded wetlands, promoting tree planting, conserving tropical rain forests and carrying out environmental impact assessments before any construction takes place.
According to Prof. Tickodri Togboa of Makerere University Faculty of Technology, the water level in Lake Victoria – Africa’s largest fresh water lake – was declining mainly because the inflow into the lake reduced by 40% between 2004 and 2006.
‘The water level should have dropped by only 3mm per day when Nalubaale and Kiira are fully open. Kiira (an extension of Owen Falls Dam) and Nalubaale combined have a capacity of 2,150 cubic metres per second. So the release of 4,000 cubic metres per second would have had an overflow and damaged the infrastructure, which was not the case. So other factors, mainly evaporation, were responsible for the water loss,’ he said.
Since October 22, 2006, the lake level has gained by about one metre from 10.43m to now 11.4m and that the rise is expected to continue for the next four to five years.
Other lakes within Eastern Africa such as Rukwa, Tanganyika in Tanzania and Turkana and Nakuru in Kenya – also suffer dropping levels yet they are not used to produce hydro-power.
Uganda demands a comprehensive study on water use by Kenya and Tanzania; the other two East African countries sharing the 69,480-square kilometre lake (see The New Vision of January 27, 2009).
As Uganda waits for the comprehensive study, let Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania join hands and restore degraded wetlands, promote tree planting, conserve tropical rain forests and make environmental impact assessments a compulsory requirement for any developer intending to carry out development – anywhere: be it in town or village. Thank you!
Ends.
Word count: 596.
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