Rising lake water levels threaten Uganda’s oil sector

A newly constructed tarmac roadway winds its way down the western rift valley escarpment, leading to the Kingfisher oil drilling site in Kikuube district. The site, situated on the marshy shoreline of Lake Albert, is set against a backdrop of sparse forest cover.

Visible gullies serve as evidence of rapid runoff flowing down the hillsides into the lake whenever it rains. The swampy vegetation along the beachside may be mitigating flooding in surrounding areas for now, but there is no guarantee that this marshland will not be overwhelmed in the future.

In apparent preparation for any eventuality, embankments constructed from boulders and metallic shields are being built along the shoreline adjacent to oil rigs in the area. A fleet of tipper trucks and graders are on site, positioning rocks before they are reinforced with massive metallic plates.

Pauline Nambi, the Kikuube district environment officer, says the inconsistent water levels have over the years altered the Lake Albert depth.

“This fluctuation is attributed to varying rainfall patterns, as well as sedimentation. We equally have an increase or decrease in volume of water flowing into the water body from River Semuliki, which majorly supplies it,” she says.

Genesis

Nambi says during the 2020-2021 flooding, about 9,000 persons were displaced. This affected the lakeshore communities of both Buliisa and Hoima districts in the Albertine region.

Nambi says among those displaced were locals from Kigaji, Rwentali, Kiryamboga, Mbegu and Fofo landing sites.

According to Ali Tinkamanyire, the Buseruka chairperson, over 35 homes are underwater in Rwentale parish. On April 28, 2023, an estimated 10 villages in Kanara sub-county in Ntoroko district got flooded after River Semuliki burst its banks, displacing multitudes.

Herbert Kamuhanda, the Ntoroko district environment officer, attributes the status quo to climate change, saying the glaciers on Mount Rwenzori are melting due to global warming.

Global warming is a rise in worldwide temperatures caused mainly by the industrial production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

An oil rig at KingfiSher drilling site in Kikuube district.

“The water formed when the glacier melts rushes down the mountain ranges, causing rivers to burst their banks and feed huge volumes of water into the recipient bodies, including Lake Albert, thus causing flooding,” he explains.

Kamuhanda adds that overgrazing of cattle has also laid land bare, making it easy for runoff to end up in rivers and streams.

He discloses that almost 25 acres of land have been lost to the collapsing banks of River Semuliki.

In September, last year, over 700 families were displaced along the shores of Lake Albert in Hoima district.

William Kasoro, the Ntoroko district chairperson, says people’s homes were about 100m away from the lake, but the rising water levels have pushed upwards up to the human settlements.

Kasoro says the adjacent Kanara town council is already overwhelmed with internally displaced. He says the oil drilling sites in Kikuube and Buliisa have not been spared by the flooding.

Oil officials speak out

Ali Ssekatawa, the director legal and corporate affairs officer at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, says 5,523 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) at Tilenga and 727 from Kingfisher development area had received financial literacy training by 2021.

“This means about 95% of PAPs have acquired financial literacy training. It is crucial in boosting knowledge as well as attaining financial management skills,” Ssekatawa says.

Aminah Bukenya, the head of corporate affairs at China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) managing Kingfisher drilling site in Kikuube district, says the Central Processing Facility (CPF) is being set up.

“There are other utilities to be installed alongside the CPF. These are, among others, the crude oil treatment facilities, oil storage and export facilities,” Bukenya says.

She also cites the Liquid Petroleum Gas production, storage and export facilities, plus power generation unit.

Bukenya adds that the company has also embraced talent development to benefit locals.

“We have so far trained 16,716 community members. Some have been offered professional training overseas,” she adds.

Bukenya reveals that there is a plan to train another 50 students at the Uganda Petroleum Institute, Kigumba in Kiryandongo district.

According to her, the employment status currently stands at 1,788, of which 33% (553) are local people.

“There is also an arrangement to have interns from five universities every year. This trend will ensure that more locals get jobs in Uganda’s oil sector in the long run,” Bukenya stresses.

According to Gerald Mukisa, the community liaison officer at the Tilenga project in Buliisa district, the emphasis by government and stakeholders is to transform the lives of PAPs.

Stella Amony, the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) corporate manager, says PAPs have been trained in agricultural practice to make them self-reliant.

“We have 20 PAPs in Kakumiro district who have been trained in improved farming methods. A child per household is taken for vocational training to improve their household income,” Amony says.

She says the trainees come from vocational institutes with a Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) certificate, enabling them to become job creators.

Amony reveals that the Government has so far spent an estimated $23m in land compensation, as well as project uplift.

“The oil sector is a multi-million investment that cannot be wasted because of natural disasters like flooding. Government is ensuring all measures are in place to avoid such calamities,” energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa says.

Tackling the threat

“On the Democratic Republic of Congo side of River Semuliki, there are embankments that stop water flow. So, whenever water volumes rise, they affect only us. It is time we have similar protection on our side,” William Kasoro, the Ntoroko district chairperson, says.

He says Ntoroko district needs government funding of sh850m to set up barriers that can prevent future flooding in the area.

Samuel Ojok, the co-ordinator of the land resettlement committee of the Tilenga project, says Project Affected Persons (PAPs) have been given food, as well as vocational skilling to curb dependency on tree cover.

Ojok says felling trees fuels soil erosion, which boosts the sedimentation of Lake Albert, as well as increases water levels, causing flooding.

He says all the PAPs of the Tilenga project have been given 5,000 litre rain harvesting tanks.

Ojok believes trapping rain water reduces the runoff that would eventually contribute to rising water levels in Lake Albert.

Aminah Bukenya, the head of corporate affairs at China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) managing Kingfisher drilling site, says there are plans to plant over 3,000 trees on the almost bare escarpment to curb increased runoff, which cause sedimentation in the lake.

Oil sector status

Ruth Nankabirwa, the energy minister, says Uganda looks forward to getting its first oil by 2027, despite challenges that have caused delays over the years.

Fred Lukumu, the Buliisa district chairperson, hails the Government for skilling local people, which may enable them to be employed in the lucrative oil sector.

When oil was discovered in Uganda’s Albertine zone in 2006, several people had to be resettled elsewhere to pave way for, among others, oil roads, drilling zones and pipeline passage.

The oil fields stretch from Kikuube local government to Buliisa and Nwoya districts, all located along the shores of Lake Albert.