Water Resources of Uganda: An Assessment and Review

Francis N. W. Nsubuga^1,2*, Edith N. Namutebi³, Masoud Nsubuga-Ssenfuma²

¹Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
²National Environmental Consult Ltd., Kampala, Uganda.
³Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kampala, Uganda.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2014.614120                

Abstract

Water resources of a country constitute one of its vital assets that significantly contribute to the socio-economic development and poverty eradication. However, this resource is unevenly distributed in both time and space. The major source of water for these resources is direct rainfall, which is recently experiencing variability that threatens the distribution of resources and water availability in Uganda. The annual rainfall received in Uganda varies from 500 mm to 2800 mm, with an average of 1180 mm received in two main seasons. The spatial distribution of rainfall has resulted into a network of great rivers and lakes that possess big potential for development. These resources are being developed and depleted at a fast rate, a situation that requires assessment to establish present status of water resources in the country. The paper reviews the characteristics, availability, demand and importance of present day water resources in Uganda as well as describing the various issues, challenges and management of water resources of the country.

Keywords

Water Resources Management, Water Resources Utilisation, Climate Change, Water Resources Development, Uganda

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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