The rise in water levels on the shores of Lake Victoria has delayed the planned reopening of different landing sites in Masaka, the district leadership has disclosed.

This has left hundreds of fishermen in different fishing villages stranded and struggling to make ends meet.

According to Mr Peter Ssenkungu, the Masaka District finance committee chairperson, they had embarked on assessing the closed fishing villages and sensitising fishermen about the accepted fishing practices, but the rising water levels, which started in May, interrupted the programme.

“We had started assessing those sites and registering the fishermen that meet the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries guidelines, but floods forced fishermen away and we were unable to continue with the exercise,” Mr Ssenkungu said in an interview on Wednesday

Last year, the Masaka District Council resolved to work with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to register fishermen and assess the landing sites that were closed in 2017 for reopening.

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