KAMPALA - Government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, is in process of securing a US$80 million from the World Bank, to finance the demarcation of navigation shipping routes on Lake Victoria.
The project is expected to commence towards the end of 2019, the Commissioner for Water Resources and Regulations in the Ministry of Water and Environment Dr. Callist Tindimugaya told East African Business Week at the Ministry Head offices recently.
“We are about to finalize the discussion with the funder and once it is done and the loan approved by the Government then we shall embark on the exercise which aims at lowering Accident incidences on the East African largest water body ( Lake Victoria),” the commissioner said.
The demarcation project will be funded under the Lake Victoria Environment project Phase 111 which will be funded by the World Bank.
Apart from Lake Victoria, government is also planning to implement the same projects on the various Lakes such as Lake Kyoga and Albert.
The demarcating activities will be jointly done by the Ministry of Water and Environment and that of Works which regulates Transport sector in the Country.
The revelation comes a time when Investors are setting up fish cage farming and other activities like sand mining on Uganda’s lakes of which such these activities are being done in navigation shipping routes which is very dangerous.
“If we don’t carry out demarcations for the shipping routes, more accidents will be registered on our lakes,” he said.
BY SAMUEL NABWIISO
