Fort Simpson (Apr 25/03) - Water management is a critical issue in much of Africa.

With that in mind, Fort Simpson's Roger Pilling was called upon to train some Africans to assess volumes flowing through their local waterways.

Pilling, a hydrometric supervisor for Water Surveys of Canada, and Jeff Woodward, an engineer from Regina, travelled to Uganda earlier this month.

After two days of flying and some serious jet lag, they landed in Entebbe, 40 kilometres from the capital city of Kampala, on April 5.

Pilling and Woodward then spent nearly two weeks instructing 24 people from 10 African countries how to use acoustic equipment to measure discharge.

The participants in the course, many of whom spoke English, had received an introduction to the acoustic equipment last February.

Uganda is home to Lake Victoria -- the world's third-largest fresh-water lake -- which feeds the Nile River. A dam near the mouth of the river provides Uganda with power and the surplus is sold to neighbouring nations.

"The Nile is the lifeblood for a lot of areas," said Pilling, who has 15 years experience in his field.

It's so crucial to the Egyptians that they have posted armed guards at the dam to ensure the water continues to run, he noted.

Although Uganda is generating plenty of power, it's also gradually depleting Lake Victoria in the process.

Therefore getting a solid grasp of water outflow is a key to better management, according to Pilling.

"But it's so political," he added.

The trip also proved to be a fascinating cultural experience.

He noted that the roads are in rough shape and much of the housing is shoddy. "Lots of people are dirt poor. They have nothing but food. But they're scraping by," he said.

Most people can grow what they need in the fertile areas of the country or fish in Lake Victoria.

Many also try to supplement their income by offering rides on their bicycles, Pilling said.

Despite having so little, Ugandans are very friendly, he added.

"People are happy. They're smiling away," he said.