Lake Kyoga

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Lake Kyoga
2002 NASA MODIS satellite picture. White spots are clouds.
Coordinates	1°4′N 33°1′ECoordinates: 1°4′N 33°1′E
Lake type	Polymitic Rift Valley Lakes
Primary inflows	Victoria Nile Mount Elgon
Primary outflows	Murchison Falls
Catchment area	75,000 km²
Basin countries	Uganda
Max. length	~200 km
Surface area	1,720 km²
Average depth	5.7 m
Surface elevation	914 m
Settlements	Soroti

Lake Kyoga is a large shallow lake complex of Uganda, about 1,720 km² in area and at an elevation of 914 m. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Another source of water is the Mount Elgon region on the border between Uganda and Kenya. While Lake Kyoga is part of Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a Great Lake. Lake Kwania is nearby.

Rivers and lakes if Uganda.
Click image to enlarge.

The lake complex reaches a maximum depth at about 5.7 meters, and most of it is less than 4 m in depth. Areas less than 3 m deep are completely covered by water lilies, while much of the swampy shoreline is covered with papyrus and water hyacinth. The papyrus also forms floating islands that drift between a number of small permanent islands. Extensive wetlands fed by a complex system of streams and rivers surround the lakes. Lake Kwania is a smaller lake but deeper.

46 species of fish have been recorded in Lake Kyoga, and crocodiles are numerous.

Excessive El Niño rains in 1997-1998 have resulted in exceptionally high water levels, causing large islands of papyrus and water hyacinth mats to become dislodged on the lake and to accumulate at the lake's outlet into the Victoria Nile. This blockage has caused the water level to become even higher, flooding about 580 km² of the surrounding land (DWD 2002) and resulting in population displacement and severe socioeconomic damage. In 2004, the Egyptian government granted Uganda a gift of 13 million USD to streamline the flow of the Nile at Lake Kyoga. As of 2005, the outlet is still largely blocked.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

DWD (2002) El Niño preparedness for Lake Kyoga and other flood prone areas of Uganda. Directorate of Water Development. Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, Entebbe, Uganda.
ILM (2004) Support to the Management of Sudd Blockage on Lake Kyoga. Produced for the Integrated Lake Management Project by Environmental Impact Assessment Centre of Finland, EIA Ltd. (online PDF version)
Twongo, T. (2001) The Fisheries and environment of Kyoga Lakes. Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI), Jinja, Uganda.
World Lake Database entry for Lake Kyoga