Availability and Accessibility of Climate and Water Data: Implications for Water Resources Decision Making and Management in East Africa

The congress featured a presentation on Availability and Accessibility of Climate and Water Data: Implications for Water Resources Decision Making and Management in East Africa. The study focused on three East African countries—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—as pilot study areas, selected due to their proximity to one another, as well as a common interest in water security at the regional level. For the evaluations, three key watersheds—one in each country—were selected for detailed study. These watersheds represent a variety of landscapes from mountainous to coastal, and threats to water security including urbanization, climate change, and land degradation. The Sasumua River Watershed in Kenya is a 107 km2 upstream watershed that is an important source of fresh water for the city of Nairobi. Water quality in this watershed is threatened by land degradation. Other concerns include the encroachment of agricultural land on forested areas and the limited information on the impacts of a changing climate. The 13,972 km2 Simiyu River Watershed in Tanzania is a mixed land use watershed, waters from which drain into Lake Victoria. Primary water uses are agriculture, fishing, and livestock production. Current threats to water security include land use and land cover change, pollutants in water courses, and high rates of erosion. The study used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate the impacts of various management practices and future climate scenarios on water resources. Results indicated that for three of four future scenarios water flows could be more than twice the values for the baseline period of 2011-2020. Filter strips were found to be the best single best management practice for reducing watershed sediment losses; however, combining all suitable management practices would yield the best results overall.