Connections Between Recent Water Level Drops in Lake Victoria, Dam Operations and Drought.

Abstract

The past 2-3 years have seen sharp decreases in Lake Victoria’s water level, currently more than 1.1 m below the 10-year average. In the past year it has been claimed that the dams at Owen Falls (Nalubaale and Kiira) are responsible for a portion of the lake’s drop, while others insist that the drop is due only to recent droughts. This study sought to determine what factors have contributed to what extent to recent drops in Lake Victoria. Data has for some time been kept out of the public eye, but recently released reports as well as on-line resources allowed for rough analyses of the situation. At the same time, the implications for the designs and benefits of the Owen Falls and Bujagali Dams of recent level and outflow changes of Lake Victoria, as well as past observed hydrology, was analysed.