- Lake Kyoga
Infobox_lake
lake_name = Lake Kyoga
image_lake = Lake Kyoga (NASA).jpg
caption_lake = 2002NASA MODIS satellite picture. White spots are clouds.
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
coords = coord|1|4|N|33|1|E|type:waterbody_region:UG|display=inline,title
type =Polymitic Rift Valley Lakes
inflow =Victoria Nile Mount Elgon
outflow =Murchison Falls
catchment = 75,000 km²
basin_countries =Uganda
length = ~200 km
width =
area = 1,720 km²
depth = 5.7 m
volume =
shore =
elevation = 914 m
islands =
cities = SorotiLake Kyoga is a large shallow
lake complex ofUganda , about 1,720 km² in area and at an elevation of 914 m. TheVictoria Nile flows through the lake on its way fromLake Victoria toLake Albert . The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by theNalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Another source of water is theMount Elgon region on the border between Uganda andKenya . While Lake Kyoga is part of Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a Great Lake.Lake Kwania is nearby.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 andwater 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, andcrocodile s are numerous.Excessive
El Niño rains in1997 -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 theVictoria 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. In2004 , 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.Fact|date=February 2007References
* 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. ( [http://www.eia.fi/kyoga/report/Kyoga_Model_report-EIA_Ltd.pdf online PDF version] )
* Twongo, T. (2001) "The Fisheries and environment of Kyoga Lakes. Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI), Jinja, Uganda.
* [http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/afr/afr-15.html World Lake Database entry for Lake Kyoga]External links
* [http://www.photius.com/countries/uganda/geography/uganda_geography_lakes_and_rivers.html Lakes and rivers in Uganda]
* [http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/afr/afr-15.html Lake Kyoga] (World Lakes Database)
* [http://www.eia.fi/kyoga/summary.htm Modelling Lake Kyoga] (Environmental Impact Assessment Centre, Finland)
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