Residents on edge as Lake Albert shoreline expands

Government facilities and residents' homes once situated about 200 metres from the shorelines of Lake Albert in Ntoroko District are now under threat of being submerged.

In the past year, the shoreline has expanded, stretching more than 150 metres, and the lake has swallowed large swaths of land.

According to local leaders and residents, the lake has already swallowed houses, toilets, landing sites, docks, and market stalls, leaving buildings that once had a safe buffer now dangerously close to the water’s edge.

This has forced some people to evacuate their homes while fishing boats and transport vessels now dock directly in the lake.

Among the government installations at high risk is the Shs11.3 billion Ntoroko customs port of the Uganda Revenue Authority. The port, which manages the export of goods to and from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Lake Albert in Kanara Sub-county, is now mere metres from being submerged.

Similarly, security surveillance cameras, crucial for monitoring the lake activities, now stand only about 30 metres from the rapidly expanding shoreline.

The Kanara Sub-county headquarters and several other government structures, including the local fish market, are also facing imminent destruction. Parts of the fish market have already crumbled.

Ntoroko District chairperson William Kasoro explained that this time, the shoreline’s expansion was not due to human activities but rather strong winds and waves.

“In the past two years, the shoreline was more than 200 metres away but in the last five months, it has started collapsing. Unfortunately, many buildings, especially those in the markets, have already fallen into the lake, and more are on the verge of doing so,” Mr Kasoro said.

He added that this is not typical flooding as experienced in previous years since many of the endangered buildings are located on raised ground.

Mr Kasoro urged the government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, to secure funding for building gabions and other restraining walls along the shoreline.

“As a leader, I am deeply concerned that if the government does not intervene to fix this collapsing shoreline issue, the area will disappear in a few months,” he said.

A security officer, who requested anonymity, revealed that surveillance cameras have been installed along the lake to monitor activities, but if the shoreline continues to expand, those installations will be lost.

“In the last two months alone, the lake has advanced more than 10 metres. The shoreline is collapsing fast, and immediate action is needed,” the officer said.

Ms Agnes Kyogabiirwe, a market vendor, said the market was once far from the lake but the expanding shoreline has reclaimed parts of it.

“We used to see the lake many metres away, but now it has swallowed parts of the market. If the shoreline is not protected, the entire town will be reclaimed. We need the government to construct a modern market and relocate us before it’s too late,” she said.

She added that as the lake creeps closer, they fear crocodiles will soon enter their homes and markets.

Ms Scovia Katusiime, a property owner, said her rental house, which had 10 rooms, is now partially hanging over the water.

"Part of my rental property is hanging over the lake now. The soil beneath has eroded so badly that I fear it could collapse any day, and because of this, all my tenants have moved out," Ms Katusiime said.