Located in the northern end of Lake Victoria, Ripon Falls are worth a visit while in Uganda. Know some interesting facts about the magnificent falls.
Ripon Falls Uganda was previously considered as the source of river Nile. John Hanning Speke was the first European to follow the course of the Nile downstream leading him to discover the falls, back in 1862.
It functioned as a natural outlet for Lake Victoria until in 1954, as the construction of Owen Falls Dam was structured, extending Lake Victoria and submerging Ripon Fall. The Owen Falls dam was completed in 1968 with eight supplementary units.
Owen Falls Dam, also known as Nalubaale Dam by the locals, consists of a concrete gravity dam with a close-coupled intake powerhouse unit. The dam controls Lake Victoria outflows through a series of 10 turbines and 6 sluices in the dam.
When the dam is fully opened, 6 sluices provide a spill capacity of about 1200 cumecs, initially equipped with two 15 units.
The Lake was named after George Robinson, the president of the royal geographical society during the year of 1859.
The Lake measured about 900 feet (5 meters) high and 900 feet (275 meters) wide. The waterfalls are into a narrow opening and some people believe it’s where the river Nile starts.
Ripon Falls Uganda is located at the northern end of the Lake Victoria in Uganda.