The waters of Lake Victoria have risen to 13.43m, an all-time record.
The highest mark previously recorded was 13.41m, in May 1964.
The freshwater lake is shared by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where the rising waters have caused destruction and displacement, leaving thousands of people homeless in recent weeks.
Sam Cheptoris, Uganda’s minister for water and environment, says the state electricity generation firm is now releasing 2,400 cubic meters of water per second at the River Nile in Jinja, to save the hydro-power dams from being washed away.
Uganda relies almost entirely on dams along the River Nile for its electricity needs.
Last month, the swelling waters led a floating island, estimated to have been about two acres, to break off the river bank, blocking the intake gates of one of the dams and causing a brief nationwide power cut.
The Nile flows into Lake Kyoga, north of the capital Kampala, where the water being spilled downstream has also caused the lake to swell, displacing families and damaging farms.
East Africa is currently experiencing heavier than usual rains, which are predicted to continue throughout May.
Latest Stories
-
Nigeria court frees 119 protesters after government drops charges
9 mins -
French families sue TikTok over harmful content
21 mins -
Slapping MP shows generational change may not end abuse of power in Nigeria
32 mins -
Zimbabwe bans police from using mobile phones while on duty
44 mins -
Killers of Ugandan Olympian sentenced to 35 years
56 mins -
Elon Musk to spend election night with Donald Trump
59 mins -
Accusations fly in Spain over who is to blame for flood disaster
1 hour -
UCL: Real Madrid lose to AC Milan in second straight home defeat
1 hour -
Queen Camilla cancels events due to chest infection
1 hour -
Economy is growing below potential – IEA
1 hour -
UCL: Gyokeres hat-trick as Amorim’s Sporting thrash Man City
1 hour -
Equatorial Guinea VP warns against office sex after viral videos
2 hours -
Netflix Europe offices raided in tax fraud probe
2 hours -
UCL: Diaz nets hattrick as Liverpool beat Leverkusen
2 hours -
Israel PM Netanyahu fires defence minister Gallant
2 hours