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The waters of Lake Victoria have risen to 13.43m, a record.
The highest mark previously recorded was 13.41m, in May 1964.
The freshwater lake is shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, where rising waters have caused destruction and displacement, leaving thousands of people homeless in recent weeks.
Sam Cheptoris, Uganda’s minister of water and environment, says the state power generation firm is now releasing 2,400 cubic meters of water per second into the Nile river in Jinja, to prevent hydroelectric dams from being washed away.
Uganda relies almost exclusively on dams along the Nile River for its electricity needs.
Last month, the rising waters led to a floating island, estimated to be approximately two acres, to break the riverbank, blocking the entrance gates of one of the dams and causing a short power outage nationwide.
The Nile empties into Lake Kyoga, north of the capital Kampala, where the downstream water has also caused the lake to swell, displacing families and damaging farms.
East Africa is currently experiencing heavier-than-usual rains, which are expected to continue throughout May.
