A team of officers attached to the Marine unit and engineering brigade of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces -UPDF have been deployed to uproot the floating island which clogged the turbines and blocked power generation at Nalubaale, Kiira and Bujagali Dams
The officers who were led by the Chief of Defense Forces David Muhoozi made a maiden tour along the four acre island before deploying speed boats and excavators to uproot it.
The island was part of Lake Victoria’s shore which shrunk into the lake but floated towards River Nile and blocked the power generation plants after heavy winds on Monday night.
The anomaly resulted into a one-hour nationwide power blackout on Tuesday afternoon. Although it was reinstated, some parts of the country have continued to experience loadshedding at different intervals.
Brig. Besigye Bekunda, the UPDF Engineering Brigade commander says that with their current workforce, the island will be cleared in a period of seven days.
Besigye says that the marine officers have been deployed to divert the island to one collection point, easily accessible to the excavators.
Besigye adds that temporary barriers shall be constructed under the railway bridge to ensure that other floating islands are denied access to the power generating zones.
The News Editor ,Reporter at Kagadi Kibaale community Radio
