Lake Victoria

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For other places with the same name, see Lake Victoria (disambiguation).

Lake Victoria

Location African Great Lakes

Coordinates 1S 33ECoordinates: 1S 33E

Primary inflows Kagera River

Primary White Nile (river, known as the "Victoria Nile" as

outflows it flows out of the lake)

Catchment area 184,000 km2 (71,000 sq mi)

238,900 km2 (92,200 sq mi) basin

Basin countries Tanzania

Uganda

Kenya

Max. length 337 km (209 mi)

Max. width 250 km (160 mi)

Surface area 68,800 km2 (26,600 sq mi)

Average depth 40 m (130 ft)

Max. depth 83 m (272 ft)

Water volume 2,750 km3 (660 cu mi)

 Shore length1 3,440 km (2,140 mi)

Surface elevation 1,135 m (3,724 ft)[1]

Islands 84 (Ssese Islands, Uganda; Maboko Island,

Kenya)

Settlements Bukoba, Tanzania

Mwanza, Tanzania

Musoma, Tanzania

Kisumu, Kenya

Kendu Bay, Kenya

Homa Bay, Kenya

Kampala, Uganda

Entebbe, Uganda

Jinja, Uganda

1
Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Victoria Nyanza. The black line indicates Stanley's route.

Lake Victoria (Nam Lolwe in Luo; Nalubaale in Luganda; Nyanza in Kinyarwanda and some Bantu
languages)[2] is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after Queen Victoria by the
explorer John Hanning Speke, the first Briton to document it. Speke accomplished this in 1858, while
on an expedition with Richard Francis Burton to locate the source of the Nile River.[3][4]
With a surface area of approximately 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi),[5][6] Lake Victoria is
Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake,[7] and the world's second largest fresh
water lake by surface area, after Lake Superior in North America.[8] In terms of volume, Lake Victoria
is the world's ninth largest continental lake, containing about 2,750 cubic kilometres
(2.23109 acreft) of water.[9]
Lake Victoria receives its water primarily from direct rainfall and thousands of small streams.
The Kagera River is the largest river flowing into this lake, with its mouth on the lake's western
shore. Lake Victoria is drained solely by the Nile River near Jinja, Uganda, on the lake's northern
shore.[5]
Lake Victoria occupies a shallow depression in Africa. The lake has a maximum depth of 84 metres
(276 ft) and an average depth of 40 metres (130 ft).[10] Its catchment area covers 184,000 square
kilometres (71,000 sq mi). The lake has a shoreline of 7,142 kilometres (4,438 mi) when digitized at
the 1:25,000 level,[11] with islands constituting 3.7 percent of this length,[12] and is divided among three
countries: Kenya (6 percent or 4,100 square kilometres or 1,600 square miles), Uganda (45 percent
or 31,000 square kilometres or 12,000 square miles), and Tanzania (49 percent or 33,700 square
kilometres or 13,000 square miles).[13]

Contents
[hide]

1Geology
2Hydrology and limnology
3Bathymetry
4Native wildlife
o 4.1Mammals
o 4.2Reptiles
o 4.3Cichlid fish
o 4.4Other fish
o 4.5Crustaceans and molluscs
5Fisheries
6Environmental issues
o 6.1Invasive fish
o 6.2Water hyacinth invasion
o 6.3Pollution
o 6.4Environmental data
7History and exploration
8Nalubaale Dam
9Transport
10See also
11References
12External links

Geology[edit]

Landsat 7 imagery of Lake Victoria

Geologically, Lake Victoria is relatively young about 400,000 years old and it formed when
westward-flowing rivers were dammed by an upthrown crustal block.[14] During its geological history,
Lake Victoria went through changes ranging from its present shallow depression, through to what
may have been a series of much smaller lakes.[12] Geological cores taken from its bottom show Lake
Victoria has dried up completely at least three times since it formed.[14] These drying cycles are
probably related to past ice ages, which were times when precipitation declined globally.[14] Lake
Victoria last dried out about 17,300 years ago, and it refilled 14,700 years ago.[15]
Hydrology and limnology[edit]
Lake Victoria receives 80 percent of its water from direct rainfall.[12] Average evaporation on the lake
is between 2.0 and 2.2 metres (6.6 and 7.2 ft) per year, almost double the precipitation
of riparian areas.[16] In the Kenya sector, the main influent rivers are
the Sio, Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, Mogusi, and Migori. Combined, these rivers contribute
far more water to the lake than does the largest single river entering the lake from the west, the
Kagera River.[17]

Lake Victoria and the Great Rift Valley

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The only outflow from Lake Victoria is the Nile River, which exits the lake near Jinja, Uganda. In
terms of contributed water, this makes Lake Victoria the principal source of the longest branch of the
Nile. However, the most distal source of the Nile Basin, and therefore the ultimate source of the Nile,
is more often considered to be one of the tributary rivers of the Kagera River (the exact tributary
remains undetermined), and which originates in either Rwanda or Burundi. The uppermost section of
the Nile is generally known as the Victoria Nile until it reaches Lake Albert. Although it is a part of the
same river system known as the White Nile and is occasionally referred to as such, strictly speaking
this name does not apply until after the river crosses the Uganda border into South Sudan to the
north.
The lake exhibits eutrophic conditions. In 19901991, oxygen concentrations in the mixed layer were
higher than in 19601961, with nearly continuous oxygen supersaturation in surface waters. Oxygen
concentrations in hypolimnetic waters (i.e. the layer of water that lies below the thermocline, is
noncirculating, and remains perpetually cold) were lower in 19901991 for a longer period than in
19601961, with values of less than 1 mg per litre (< 0.4 gr/cu ft) occurring in water as shallow as 40
metres (130 ft) compared with a shallowest occurrence of greater than 50 metres (160 ft) in 1961.
The changes in oxygenation are considered consistent with measurements of higher algal biomass
and productivity.[18] These changes have arisen for multiple reasons: successive burning within its
basin,[19] soot and ash from which has been deposited over the lake's wide area; from increased
nutrient inflows via rivers,[20] and from increased pollution associated with settlement along its
shores.[citation needed]
The extinction of cichlids in the genus Haplochromis has also been blamed on the lake's
eutrophication. The fertility of tropical waters depends on the rate at which nutrients can be brought
into solution. The influent rivers of Lake Victoria provide few nutrients to the lake in relation to its
size. Because of this, most of Lake Victoria's nutrients are thought to be locked up in lake-bottom
deposits.[12][21] By itself, this vegetative matter decays slowly. Animal flesh decays considerably faster,
however, so the fertility of the lake is dependent on the rate at which these nutrients can be taken up
by fish and other organisms.[21] There is little doubt that Haplochromis played an important role in
returning detritus and plankton back into solution.[22][23][24] With some 80 percent
of Haplochromis species feeding off detritus, and equally capable of feeding off one another, they
represented a tight, internal recycling system, moving nutrients and biomass both vertically and
horizontally through the water column, and even out of the lake via predation by humans and
terrestrial animals. The removal of Haplochromis, however, may have contributed to the increasing
frequency of algal blooms,[20][23][24] which may in turn be responsible for mass fish kills.[20]

Bathymetry[edit]

Lake Victoria bathymetric model[25]

The lake is considered a shallow lake considering its large geographic area with a maximum depth
of approximately 80 metres (260 ft) and an average depth of almost exactly 40 metres (130 ft).[26] A
2016 project digitized ten-thousand points and created the first true bathymetric map of the
lake.[25] The deepest part of the lake is offset to the east of the lake near Kenya and the lake is
generally shallower in the west along the Ugandan shoreline and the south along the Tanzanina
shoreline.[25]

Native wildlife[edit]
Mammals[edit]
Many mammal species live in the region of Lake Victoria, and some of these are closely associated
with the lake itself and the nearby wetlands. Among these are the hippopotamus, African clawless
otter, spotted-necked otter, marsh mongoose, sitatunga, bohor reedbuck, defassa waterbuck, cane
rats, and giant otter shrew.[27]
Reptiles[edit]
Lake Victoria and its wetlands has a large population of Nile crocodiles, as well as African helmeted
turtles, variable mud turtles, and Williams' mud turtle.[28] The Williams' mud turtle is restricted to Lake
Victoria and other lakes, rivers, and swamps in the upper Nile basin.[28]
Cichlid fish[edit]

Unlike many other Lake Victoria cichlids, Haplochromis nyererei remains common.[29] Compared to several
other cichlids, its eyes are particularly sensible to light, especially red, which is less affected by the decrease in
water clarity caused by eutrophication than short wavelength colors[30]

Lake Victoria formerly was very rich in fish, including many endemics, but a high percentage of these
became extinct during the last 50 years.[31] The main group in Lake Victoria is
the haplochromine cichlids (Haplochromis sensu lato) with more than 500 species, almost all
endemic[15][32][33] and some still undescribed.[34] This is far more species of fish than any other lake in
the world, except Lake Malawi.[34] These are the result of a rapid adaptive radiation in the last circa
15,000 years.[15][32][35]Their extraordinary diversity and speed of evolution have been the subjects for
many scientists studying the forces that drive the richness of life everywhere.[32][36] The Victoria
haplochromines are part of an older group of more than 700 closely related species, also including
those of several smaller lakes in the region, notably Kyoga, EdwardGeorge, Albert,
and Kivu.[15][32] Most of these lakes are relatively shallow (like Victoria) and part of the present-day
upper Nile basin. The exception is Lake Kivu, which is part of the present-day Congo River basin,
but is believed to have been connected to Lakes Edward and Victoria by rivers until the uplifting of
parts of the East African Rift.[15] This deep lake may have functioned as an "evolutionary reservoir"
for this haplochromine group in periods where other shallower lakes in the region dried out, as
happened to Lake Victoria about 15,000 years ago.[15] In recent history only Lake Kyoga was easily
accessible to Victoria cichlids, as further downstream movement by the Victoria Nile (to Lake Albert)
is prevented by a series of waterfalls, notably Murchison. In contrast, the Owen Falls (now flooded
by a dam) between Victoria and Kyoga were essentially a series of rapids that did not effectively
block fish movements between the two lakes.[37]

Haplochromis thereuterion survives in low numbers.[38] Initially feared extinct, when rediscovered it had changed
habitat (from near surface to rocky outcrops) and feeding behavior (from surface insects to insect larvae)[39]

The ecology of the Victoria haplochromines is extremely diverse, falling into at least 16 groups,
including detritivores, zooplanktivores, insectivores, prawn-
eaters, molluscivores and piscivores.[36] As a result of predation by the introduced Nile perch,
eutrophication and other changes to the ecosystem, it is estimated that at least 200 species (about
40 percent) of Lake Victoria haplochromines have become extinct.[33][36][40] Initially it was feared that
this number was even higher, by some estimates 65 percent of the total species,[41] but several
species that were feared extinct have been rediscovered after the Nile perch started to decline in the
1990s.[36][42] Several of the remaining species are seriously threatened and additional extinctions are
possible.[43] Some species have survived in nearby small satellite lakes,[42] have survived in refugias
among rocks or papyrus sedges (protecting them from the Nile perch),[44] or have adapted to the
human-induced changes in the lake itself.[36][40] Such adaptions include a larger gill area (adaption for
oxygen-poor water), changes in the feeding apparatus, changes to the eyes (giving them a better
sight in turbid water)[30][36] and smaller head/larger caudal peduncle (allowing faster swimming).[45] The
piscivorous (affected by both predation and competition from Nile perch[46]), molluscivorous and
insectivorous haplochromines were particularly hard hit with many extinctions.[36] Others have
become extinct in their pure form, but survive as hybrids between close relatives (especially among
the detritivores).[33][36] The zooplanktivores have been least affected and in the late 1990s had
reaches densities similar to, or above, the densities before the drastic declines, although consisting
of fewer species and often switching their diet towards macroinvertebrates.[30][36] Some of the
threatened Lake Victoria cichlid species have captive "insurance" populations in zoos, public
aquaria and among private aquarists, and a few species are extinct in the wild (only survive in
captivity).[47][48][49][50][51]
Before the mass extinction that has occurred among the lake's cichlids in the last 50 years, about 90
percent of the native fish species in the lake were haplochromines.[31] Disregarding the
haplochromines, the only native Victoria cichlids are two critically endangered tilapia, the Singida
tilapia (Oreochromis esculentus) and Victoria tilapia (O. variabilis).[52][53]
Other fish[edit]
The non-cichlid native fish include African tetras (Brycinus), cyprinids
(Enteromius, Garra, Labeo, Labeobarbus, Rastrineobola and Xenobarbus), airbreathing catfish
(Clariallabes, Clarias and Xenoclarias), bagrid catfish (Bagrus), loach catfish
(Amphilius and Zaireichthys), silver butter catfish (Schilbe intermedius), Synodontis squeaker
catfish, Nothobranchius killifish, poeciliids (Aplocheilichthys and Micropanchax), the spiny
eel Mastacembelus frenatus, elephantfish
(Gnathonemus, Hippopotamyrus, Marcusenius, Mormyrus, Petrocephalus, and Pollimyrus), the
climbing gourami Ctenopoma muriei and marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus).[54]
At a genus level, most of these are widespread in Africa, but the very
rare Xenobarbus and Xenoclarias are endemic to the lake, and the common Rastrineobola is near-
endemic.[54]
Crustaceans and molluscs[edit]
Two species of freshwater crabs are known from Lake Victoria, but neither is
endemic: Potamonautes niloticus is widespread and P. emini has been recorded from the vicinity
of Bukoba in Tanzania.[55][56] The only shrimp/prawn is Caridina nilotica,[57] which is common and
widespread in the lake.[36]
Lake Victoria is home to 28 species of
aquatic gastropods (e.g., Bellamya, Biomphalaria, Bulinus, Cleopatra, Gabbiella,
and Melanoides)[58] and several species of bivalves (Corbicula, Coelatura, Sphaerium,
and Byssanodonta).[59]

Fisheries[edit]
Fishers and their boats on the shore of Lake Victoria

Main article: Fishing on Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria supports Africa's largest inland fishery (as of 1997).[60] Initially the fishery involved
native species, especially tilapia and haplochromine cichlids, but also catfish
(Bagrus, Clarias, Synodontis and silver butter catfish), elephantfish, ningu (Labeo victorianus) and
marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus).[61][62] Some of these, including tilapia and ningu (Labeo
victorianus), had already declined in the first half of the 20th century due to overfishing.[36][63] To boost
fishing, several species of non-native tilapia and Nile perch were introduced to the lake in the 1950s.
Nevertheless, the natives continued to dominate fisheries until the 1970s where their decline meant
that there was a strong shift towards the non-native Nile tilapia (now 7 percent of catches), non-
native Nile perch (60 percent) and the native Lake Victoria sardine (30 percent).[36][62]Because of its
small size, the abundant open-water Lake Victoria sardine only supported minor fisheries until the
decline of other natives.[62] At the peak in the early 1990s, 500,000 metric tons (490,000 long tons) of
Nile perch were landed annually in Lake Victoria, but this has declined significantly in later years.[36]

Environmental issues[edit]
A number of environmental issues are associated with Lake Victoria and the complete
disappearance of many endemic cichlid species has been called the "most dramatic example of
human-caused extinctions within an ecosystem".[43]
Invasive fish[edit]
Starting in the 1950s, several species have been introduced to Lake Victoria where they have
become invasive and a prime reason for the extinction of
many endemic haplochromine cichlids.[31] Among the introductions are
several tilapias: redbreast (Coptodon rendalli), redbelly (C. zillii), and Nile tilapias (Oreochromis
niloticus), and O. leucostictus.[36][62][64] Although these have contributed to the extinction of native fish
by causing significant changes to the ecosystem, outcompeted natives and (in the case of the Nile
tilapia) possibly hybridized with the highly threatened native tilapias, the most infamous introduction
was the large and highly predatory Nile perch (Lates niloticus).[31][36][62]
The Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria for fishing, and can reach up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) and 200
kilograms (440 lb).[65]

As early as the 1920s, it was proposed to introduce a large pelagic predator such as the Nile perch
to improve the fisheries in the lake. At the same time it was warned that this could present a serious
danger to the native fish species and required extensive research into possible ecological effects
before done.[64] These warnings primarily concerned the native tilapia O. esculentus, as the smaller
haplochromine cichlids (despite playing an important role in local fisheries) were regarded as "thrash
fish" or even a vermin by the British colonial authorities.[64] In the following decades, the pressure to
introduce the Nile perch continued, as did warnings about the possible effects of doing it.[64] The first
introduction of Nile perch to the region, done by the Uganda Game and Fisheries Department (then
part of the British Colonial rule) and local African fish guards, happened upstream of Murchison Falls
directly after the completion of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954. This allowed it to spread to Lake Kyoga
where additional Nile perch were released in 1955, but not Victoria itself.[64] Scientists argued that
further introduction should wait until research showed the effect of the introduction in Kyoga, but by
the late 1950s, Nile perch began being caught in Lake Victoria.[64] As the species was already
present, there were few objections when more Nile perch were transferred to Victoria to further
bolster the stock in 196263.[64] The origin of the first Victoria introductions in the 1950s is not
entirely clear and indisputable evidence is lacking. Uganda Game and Fisheries Department (UGFD)
officials denied that they were involved, but circumstancial evidence suggests otherwise and local
Africans employed by UGFD have said that they introduced the species in 195455 under the
directive of senior officials.[64] UGFD officials argued that Nile perch must have spread to Lake
Victoria by themselves by passing through the Owen Falls Dam when shut down for maintenance,
but this is considered highly unlikely by many scientists.[64] The Nile perch had spread throughout the
lake by 1970.[36] Initially the population of the Nile perch was relatively low, but a drastic increase
happened, peaking in the 1980s, followed by a decline starting in the 1990s.[36]
Due to the presence of the Nile perch, the natural balance of the lake's ecosystem has been
disrupted. The food chain is being altered and in some cases, broken by the indiscriminate eating
habits of the Nile perch. The subsequent decrease in the member of algae-eating fish allows the
algae to grow at an alarming rate, thereby choking the lake. The increasing amounts of algae, in
turn, increase the amount of detritus (dead plant material) that falls to the deeper portions of the lake
before decomposing. As a by-product of this the oxygen levels in the deeper layer of water are being
depleted. Without oxygen, any aerobic life (such as fish) cannot exist in the deeper parts of the lake,
forcing all life to exist within a narrow range of depth. In this way, the Nile perch has degraded the
diverse and thriving ecosystem that was once Lake Victoria. The abundance of aquatic life is not the
only dependent of the lake: more than thirty million people in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda rely on
the lake for its natural resources.
Hundreds of endemic species that evolved under the special conditions offered by the protection of
Lake Victoria have been lost due to extinction, and several more are still threatened. Their loss is
devastating for the lake, the fields of ecology, genetics and evolution biology, and more evidently, for
the local fisheries. Local fisheries once depended on catching the lungfish, tilapia, carp and catfish
that comprise the local diet. Today, the composition and yields of such fish catches are virtually
negligible. Extensive fish kills, Nile perch, loss of habitat and overfishing have caused many fisheries
to collapse and many protein sources to be unavailable at the market for local consumption. Few
fisheries, though, have been able to make the switch to catching the Nile perch, since that requires a
significant amount of capital resources.[66]
Water hyacinth invasion[edit]
Main article: Water hyacinth in Lake Victoria

A hyacinth-choked lakeshore at Ndere Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya.

The water hyacinth has become a major invasive plant species in Lake Victoria.
The release of large amounts of untreated wastewater (sewage) and agricultural and industrial runoff
directly into Lake Victoria over the past 30 years has greatly increased the nutrient levels of nitrogen
and phosphorus in the lake "triggering massive growth of exotic water hyacinth, which colonised the
lake in the late 1990s".[67][68] This invasive weed creates anoxic (total depletion of oxygen levels)
conditions in the lake inhibiting decomposing plant material, raising toxicity and disease levels to
both fish and people. At the same time, the plant's mat or "web" creates a barrier for boats and
ferries to maneuver, impedes access to the shoreline, interferes with hydroelectric power generation,
and blocks the intake of water for industries.[67][69][70][71][72] On the other hand, water hyacinth mats can
potentially have a positive effect on fish life in that they create a barrier to overfishing and allow for
fish growth, there has even been the reappearance of some fish species thought to have been
extinct in recent years. The overall effects of the water hyacinth, however, are still unknown.[69][73]
Growth of the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria has been tracked since 1993, reaching its maxima
biomass in 1997 and then declining again by the end of 2001.[69] Greater growth was observed in the
northern part of the lake, in relatively protected areas, which may be linked to current and weather
patterns and could also be due to the climate and water conditions, which are more suitable to the
plants growth (as there are large urban areas to the north end of the lake, in Uganda).[72] The
invasive weed was first attempted to be controlled by hand, removed manually from the lake;
however, re-growth occurred quickly. Public awareness exercises were also conducted.[72] More
recently, measures have been used such as the introduction of natural insect predators, including
two different water hyacinth weevils and large harvesting and chopping boats, which seem to be
much more effective in eliminating the water hyacinth.[72][74][75][76]
Other factors which may have contributed to the decline of the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria
include varying weather patterns, such as El Nio during the last few months of 1997 and first six
months of 1998 bringing with it higher levels of water in the lake and thus dislodging the plants.
Heavy winds and rains along with their subsequent waves may have also damaged the plants during
this same time frame. The plants may not have been destroyed, instead merely moved to another
location. Additionally, the water quality, nutrient supply, temperature, and other environmental
factors could have played a role. Overall, the timing of the decline could be linked to all of these
factors and perhaps together, in combination, they were more effective than any one deterrent would
have been by itself.[72] The water hyacinth is in remission and this trend could be permanent if control
efforts are continued.[77]
Pollution[edit]

Population density around Lake Victoria

Pollution of Lake Victoria is mainly due to discharge of raw sewage into the lake, dumping of
domestic and industrial waste, and fertiliser and chemicals from farms.
The Lake Victoria basin while generally rural has many major centres of population. Its shores in
particular are dotted with the key cities and towns, including Kisumu, Kisii, and Homa Bay in
Kenya; Kampala, Jinja and Entebbe in Uganda; and Bukoba, Mwanza, and Musoma in Tanzania.
These cities and towns also are home to many factories that discharge some chemicals directly into
the lake or its influent rivers. Large parts of these urban areas also discharge untreated (raw)
sewage into the river, increasing its eutrophication that in turn is helping to increase the invasive
water hyacinth.[78]
Environmental data[edit]
As of 2016, an environmental data repository exists for Lake Victoria. The repository contains
shoreline, bathymetry, pollution, temperature, wind vector, and other important data for both the lake
and the wider Basin.

History and exploration[edit]

Bismarck Rock

The first recorded information about Lake Victoria comes from Arab traders plying the inland routes
in search of gold, ivory, other precious commodities, and slaves. An excellent map, known as
the Muhammad al-Idrisi map from the calligrapher who developed it and dated from the 1160s,
clearly depicts an accurate representation of Lake Victoria, and attributes it as the source of the Nile.

The lake as it is visible from the shores of the Speke Resort in Kampala, Uganda

The lake was first sighted by a European in 1858 when the British explorer John Hanning
Speke reached its southern shore while on his journey with Richard Francis Burton to explore central
Africa and locate the Great Lakes. Believing he had found the source of the Nile on seeing this "vast
expanse of open water" for the first time, Speke named the lake after Queen Victoria. Burton, who
had been recovering from illness at the time and resting further south on the shores of Lake
Tanganyika, was outraged that Speke claimed to have proved his discovery to have been the true
source of the Nile River, which Burton regarded as still unsettled. A very public quarrel ensued,
which not only sparked a great deal of intense debate within the scientific community of the day, but
also much interest by other explorers keen to either confirm or refute Speke's discovery.[79]
In the late 1860s, the famous British explorer and missionary David Livingstone failed in his attempt
to verify Speke's discovery, instead pushing too far west and entering the River Congo system
instead.[80] Ultimately, the Welsh-American explorer Henry Morton Stanley, on an expedition funded
by the New York Herald newspaper, confirmed the truth of Speke's discovery, circumnavigating the
lake and reporting the great outflow at Ripon Falls on the lake's northern shore.

Nalubaale Dam[edit]
Main article: Nalubaale Power Station
The Nalubaale Hydroelectric Power Station in Njeru, Uganda.

The only outflow for Lake Victoria is at Jinja, Uganda, where it forms the Victoria Nile. The water
since at least 12,000 years ago drained across a natural rock weir. In 1952, engineers acting for the
government of British Uganda blasted out the weir and reservoir to replace it with an artificial
barrage to control the level of the lake and reduce the gradual erosion of the rock weir. A standard
for mimicking the old rate of outflow called the "agreed curve" was established, setting the maximum
flow rate at 300 to 1,700 cubic metres per second (3922,224 cu yd/sec) depending on the lake's
water level.
In 2002, Uganda completed a second hydroelectric complex in the area, the Kiira Hydroelectric
Power Station, with World Bank assistance. By 2006, the water levels in Lake Victoria had reached
an 80-year low, and Daniel Kull, an independent hydrologist living in Nairobi, Kenya, calculated that
Uganda was releasing about twice as much water as is allowed under the agreement,[81] and was
primarily responsible for recent drops in the lake's level.

Transport[edit]
Main article: Lake Victoria ferries
Since the 1900s, Lake Victoria ferries have been an important means of transport between Uganda,
Tanzania, and Kenya. The main ports on the lake are Kisumu, Mwanza, Bukoba, Entebbe, Port Bell,
and Jinja. Until Kenyan independence in 1963, the fastest and newest ferry, MV Victoria, was
designated a Royal Mail Ship. In 1966, train ferry services between Kenya and Tanzania were
established with the introduction of MV Uhuru and MV Umoja. The ferry MV Bukoba sank in the lake
on 21 May 1996 with a loss of between 800 and 1,000 lives, making it one of Africa's worst maritime
disasters.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

Africa portal

Geography portal

Geography of Kenya portal

Darwin's Nightmare
Kishanda

References[edit]
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