The Uganda Atlas

Water levels in major lakes

NEMA 2008

Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District, Western Uganda (2008). The lake catchments are well managed.

Water levels

From 1948 Lake Edward highest water levels ever recorded is 2.68 meters in May 1978 and the lowest is 0.91 meters in July 2000. This is a difference of 1.77 meters between the highest and lowest water levels ever recorded on the lake. The lowest water levels can be attributed to the drought conditions from 1999 (La Niña). From 1945 Lake George highest water level ever recorded is 5.19 meters in May 2002 and the lowest is 4.08 meters in march 1974. This is a difference of 1.11 meters between the highest and the lowest water levels ever recorded. Nearly the entire country lies within the River Nile Basin save for a small portion in the north east that drains into Lake Turkana. Most of the Lakes in Uganda may be classified as shallow; for example Victoria the largest lake has an average depth of only 82 m, while some of the lakes like Kyoga have average depths of less than 10m. The lakes, Edward and Albert and the volcanic lava dammed Lake Bunyonyi, have the greatest depths presumably due to deeper depressions created by intense warping and later filled with water. Major Lakes Catchment Areas

Lake Edward Water Levels (metres)

UBOS 2008 UBOS 2008

Figure 5: Lake Edward

Lake George Water Levels (metres)

Figure 6: Lake George

The varying depths have an important bearing on the water storage capacity of the lakes and sensitivity to reduction in storage due to the increasing problem of silting as a result of environmental change. Uganda is well endowed with drainage systems, with a large number of rivers and streams draining from eight river basins into River Nile.

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