07/05/2020, Lake Victoria levels recorded 13.42M surpassing the highest recorded lake level of 13.41M on 12/05/1964. The water spilling is ongoing at 2,400 CM/Sec for both Nalubaale and Kiira HPS. Directorate of Water guides on the amount of Water to be spilled @KagutaMuseveni pic.twitter.com/e9jmgcg7Nz
— Eskom Uganda Limited (@Eskomug) May 8, 2020
All sluice gates at the two front-line hydro power dams at Jinja (Nalubaale and Kiira) have been opened to release excess amount of water held behind them to protect the dams from being washed away.
This comes after water levels have risen to the highest level since Nalubaale dam (formerly known as Owen Falls dam) was commissioned in 1954.
Eskom Uganda, the managers of both Nalubaale dam and Kiira says that water levels have now reached 13.42, surpassing the 1964 record of 13.41 metres.
Eskom says that it now releases 2,400 cubic metres of water per second.
In an interview with The Sunrise, Eng. Peter Tentena, the Eskom Operations Manager said that since October 2019, water levels in Lake Victoria have risen by more than 1.3 metres from 12.10m to now 13.42.
There are concerns that the anticipated increase in rainfall in the Lake Victoria catchment areas of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, pressure on the dam will rise and possibly wash away the dam or hamper electricity production.
The rise in lake levels are certainly a source of sleepless nights for president Yoweri Museveni who stopped over at Kitubulu on his way to Entebbe to view the impact of the rise.
