George Bita
14 August 2007
Kampala — The water hyacinth that is piling up again at Kiira dam in Jinja
THE water hyacinth on Lake Victoria is one of the causes of low power generation, an energy expert has said. Nokwandi Mngeni, the managing director of Eskom, the firm generating power, said the weed was interfering with the flow of water to the turbines at the dams in Jinja.
Mngeni said the prolonged drought and restriction on how much water to release from the dams, had also worsened the power shortage. She told The New Vision on Monday that they were operating at half capacity. "The production capacity of the two plants at Nalubaale and Kiira dams is 300MW but Eskom is producing only 140MW."
The major challenge, said Mngeni, was how to rationalise use of water considering its great demand. "We need to balance the need for energy and the use of water for other social and economic activities.
"For instance, water transportation is greatly dependent on the water levels, if the ships and boats are to dock at landing sites. There is also demand in the fishing industry and water for domestic usage."
Mngeni dismissed claims that power generation was the biggest consumer of water. "Unlike what the public believes, 80% of the loss in the lake water is due to evaporation." She said Eskom was working with the water directorate to review the water levels and demands for it.
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