A neighbour-reported board of where the lake has come up over the quarters right now — so families on the lakeshore and islands can tell each other where the water is, with the emergency numbers to call.
About these tools
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Jinja and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.town.tools/jinja-eastern-region-ug/is-the-lakeshore-flooding
When the lake comes up, it reaches some quarters and not others — and there is no gauge you can check for your own street. This board lets neighbours tell each other where the water is up right now. Tap the area you are in to report flooding, and see where else people are reporting it.
It is run by residents, not the city or emergency services — so use it alongside the numbers below, not instead of them. A report clears itself after about a day, so what you see is what people are reporting now.
No flooding reported right now.
Masese Landing Site
No reports · The fishing hub and washing bays — went under in 2024
Masese (homes, I–III)
No reports · The low-lying residential zones back from the water
These reports come from neighbours, not the town hall or emergency services. Anyone can read the board; reporting flooding takes a free account, which keeps it honest. A report clears itself after about 24 hours, so the board stays current on its own — if a street is still under water after that, someone reports it again. When several people report the same quarter, the flooding is likely across the area, not just one street.
Flooding and emergency services
In danger from rising water, call 999 or 112 — both toll-free — for the Police and emergency services. For relief after flooding, such as food, temporary shelter or help moving, the Uganda Red Cross and the Office of the Prime Minister work with Jinja City; the Red Cross has volunteers based in Jinja and answers a first-aid and ambulance line on 0760 588 189.
In May 2024 Lake Victoria reached its highest level in 128 years and the water came up over Masese Landing Site — the market, the washing bays, homes and gardens — while families on Lwabitooke and Kisima moved to the mainland. The lake rises most through the two wet seasons, roughly March–May and September–November. How high it gets depends on rain across the whole Lake Victoria basin — rivers in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania all feed it — and on how much water Eskom releases at the Nalubaale dam here in Jinja. None of that can be read street by street, which is why neighbours reporting to each other is the most useful early signal.