Uganda: Behind the dropping level of Lake Victoria

The Chief Engineer Marines, Aggrey Ojiambo, points at a spot at Port Bell Pier at Luzira marking the water level of Lake Victoria before the recession. The concrete slabs in the background show the extent to which the waters have dropped. A detailed analysis of the available hydrological evidence concludes that 55% of Uganda’s power problems are a result of excess water releases at the Nalubaale and Kiira dams. Jennifer Austin writes that only 45% of the drop can be blamed on low rainfall. There have been conflicting stories about the cause of the recent large drop of the water level of Lake Victoria with some officials brushing it off as an unfortunate consequence of drought, while others blame excessive water releases from hydropower production at the dams in Jinja, according to the Sunday Vision.