KAMPALA, Uganda
Uganda government issued a warning on Tuesday to communities living on lake shores and riverbanks, cautioning them about the increased water volume in those water bodies, which has reached worrying levels.
Minister of Water and
Environment, Sam Cheptoris told reporters that the water level of Lake
Victoria, the country's largest lake shared with Kenya and Tanzania, has risen
to its highest level.
According to the minister, the
water level in Lake Victoria has increased to 13.66 meters, up from 13.5 meters
in 2020.
He said that Lake Victoria
receives water from 23 rivers across the region, which are currently
experiencing El Nino rains.
"These rivers originate
from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and all the way from Burundi. So even when there
is no rain here and it has rained elsewhere in those countries, Lake Victoria
will still receive water," he said.
The minister noted that due to
the high-water level in the lake, the government was forced to release more
water into the River Nile, which feeds into other lake basins, potentially
causing floods there.
"We are appealing to all
those people who are within the shores of lakes or the banks of the rivers to
be very careful and try to avoid those areas," Cheptoris said.
Bariega Akankwasah, executive
director of the National Environment Management Authority, the country's
environmental watchdog, said that operations are underway to evict all those
living on lake shores and riverbanks.
"We call upon Ugandans
not to wait for what happened to our brothers and sisters in Kenya and
Brazil," the official said.
"We request all those
living in wetlands to vacate immediately so that we can save lives and
property," he added.
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