UN accuses Uganda of draining Lake Victoria

UN accuses Uganda of draining Lake Victoria

The United Nations has accused Uganda of draining Lake Victoria to maintain its electricity supplies, despite an impending environmental catastrophe as water levels in Africa's largest lake drop to their lowest in 80 years...

The falling water level is affecting 30 million people in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya whose livelihoods depend on the lake...Sudan and Egypt, both of which rely on the river Nile, which runs out of Lake Victoria, for their water supply and for agricultural irrigation, will also be affected.

While the Ugandan government is keen to point the finger of blame for the lake's falling water levels at the lack of rain, not everyone agrees. Daniel Kull, a hydrologist with the UN's International Strategy for Disaster, said he believed Uganda was draining Lake Victoria to help meet its demand for electricity.

Lake Victoria normally covers a land mass of 68,870 square kilometers. If the lake levels have dropped three meters, that's a huge amount of water.

This is looking like Lake Chad, all over again.

Can anyone imagine a world without the Nile???

[edit on 10-2-2006 by loam]

Interesting story. I do not doubt it the least bit. It is very sad when a country has to do this in order to survive.

Thats bull if Uganda is really doing that theres been a long standing international agreement designed to protect that lake's waters. With millions of people from different countries depending on that water and it on the border of 3 different countries that would be messed up for Uganda to do that on their own.

I just noticed that thermopolis posted on this subject first here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

My apologies...