Uganda says it is cutting the flow of water from Lake Victoria through its main dam at the point where Africas largest inland water-mass feeds the Nile, blaming it on widespread drought, BBC Online reports Tuesday.
The Ugandan government said the flow had been cut by almost a third to allow the lake to refill as it is at its lowest level for more than 80 years.
At least 7 million people are estimated by the UN to need immediate food aid as a direct result of the drought. Other problems are expected to put more than 20 million in need in the next year.
James Morris, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said an area from Eritrea to Tanzania was affected by the worst drought in decades. WFP was appealing to its usual donors – Western nations and Japan – for more aid.
However, he said it was also looking for increased contributions from the Gulf states and the wider Arab world. Such countries currently provide less than 1 percent of funding for the WFP, Mr Morris said.
