On River Nile, a dam is being constructed at Bujagali and for the Bujagali hydro power project to be accomplished, the east waterway of the river at the project site will be closed and the river will be diverted to the new west waterway starting from February 15, 2011.Because of the construction of this dam, the fishermen, water rafters, swimmers, boaters and kayakers will be unable to go past the project site and the Bujagali Energy Limited has warned them against using this part of the Nile therefore should immediately find an alternative place for their water adventures because it would be dangerous if they don’t and it could lead to an increase in the amount of revenue from the tourists that enjoy the activities.
The public notice that was released said that while using the waters upstream, there shouldn’t be any activity because the river flow will be extremely unstable and going through that area could lead to death or severe injury therefore the Nile users should leave out the upstream of the diverted area.
The Deputy Construction Manager of Bujagali Energy Limited, Mr. Kenneth Kaheru, said during this development, there might be some losses but they will do their best to minimize the distraction that could be caused. He also said that half a kilometer of the river will be the only affected one which will later be turned into a reservoir and the rest of the Nile will be untouched.
Mr. James Bahinguza, the General Manager of Uganda Tourism Board said there shouldn’t be any fear because there are other parts of the river where such water activities can be carried out.
The tourist organizations and tour operators should take note of the incidence to avoid inconveniences and the shame that could come up when they take their clients to carry out the activities.
