Uganda limits R. Nile outflow
Mar 06, 2006
UGANDA is cutting the outflow of the River Nile water at Owens Falls Dam by 300 million Cubic Centimeters (CC) per day, to restore the water level which had dropped due to drought.
By Jude Etyang
UGANDA is cutting the outflow of the River Nile water at Owens Falls Dam by 300 million Cubic Centimeters (CC) per day, to restore the water level which had dropped due to drought.
State minister for water Maria Mutagamba said the measure would help to increase power generated at the dam. Uganda is facing an acute power shortage which is partly caused by the dam’s failure to generate enough power due to the low water level.
“We will write to the operators of the dam to reduce the water level,†said Mutagamba.
The water reduction will be implemented by shutting down some turbines, Mutagamba said.
She said more water would be kept in the reservoirs at Jinja as the water let out is reduced from 1100 million CC to 800 million CC.
She said within six months of the reduced outflow, the water volume of the Nile would be back to normal.
Opening the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) national awareness workshop at Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe yesterday, Mutagamba said the water would further be reduced from 800m CC to 500m CC per day, which she said was the standard flow.
“We shall maintain it at 500m CC. If we reduce further, we shall affect the countries downstream,†Mutagamba said.
The NBI is a development co-operation by 10 nations which share the River Nile, which include Burundi, the DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The workshop is attended by managers of the NBI’s Shared Vision Projects, foreign envoys and government delegations from the stakeholder nations.
Mutagamba challenged NBI to contribute to solving the water level problem affecting Lake Victoria. She said the drought had caused the drop in water levels, leading to inadequate water supply to cities around the lake.
NBI chief Patrick Kahangire said the NBI was creating a forum between the regional governments to develop the Nile basin.
Kahangire said the countries involved should take action to avert the water level crisis.
UGANDA is cutting the outflow of the River Nile water at Owens Falls Dam by 300 million Cubic Centimeters (CC) per day, to restore the water level which had dropped due to drought.
State minister for water Maria Mutagamba said the measure would help to increase power generated at the dam. Uganda is facing an acute power shortage which is partly caused by the dam’s failure to generate enough power due to the low water level.
“We will write to the operators of the dam to reduce the water level,†said Mutagamba.
The water reduction will be implemented by shutting down some turbines, Mutagamba said.
She said more water would be kept in the reservoirs at Jinja as the water let out is reduced from 1100 million CC to 800 million CC.
She said within six months of the reduced outflow, the water volume of the Nile would be back to normal.
Opening the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) national awareness workshop at Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe yesterday, Mutagamba said the water would further be reduced from 800m CC to 500m CC per day, which she said was the standard flow.
“We shall maintain it at 500m CC. If we reduce further, we shall affect the countries downstream,†Mutagamba said.
The NBI is a development co-operation by 10 nations which share the River Nile, which include Burundi, the DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The workshop is attended by managers of the NBI’s Shared Vision Projects, foreign envoys and government delegations from the stakeholder nations.
Mutagamba challenged NBI to contribute to solving the water level problem affecting Lake Victoria. She said the drought had caused the drop in water levels, leading to inadequate water supply to cities around the lake.
NBI chief Patrick Kahangire said the NBI was creating a forum between the regional governments to develop the Nile basin.
Kahangire said the countries involved should take action to avert the water level crisis.