How rising Lake Victoria water levels led to Uganda power blackout

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 11 May, 2020 19:41 | < 1 min read
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria. PHOTO | AFP
Lake Victoria. PHOTO | AFP

The record water levels in Lake Victoria forced authorities in Uganda to ration power over the weekend until Monday.

The lake is the source of water for the country's four big hydropower plants, along the River Nile and following heavy rains the water level has risen to its highest since 1964.

The authorities have been releasing water from the dams, to ease pressure.

On Friday water levels on Lake Victoria rose to more than 13.4m, setting a new record.

The high water has caused flooding, with homes and hotels close to the shore affected.

It has also dislodged large islands of floating debris and weeds, which threatened to block turbines and forced the electricity suppliers to close down hydropower dam operations twice recently.

That caused power cuts across Uganda and other countries in the region.

East Africa is experiencing heavier than usual rains, which are forecast to continue this month.