Uganda 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.