LAKE VICTORIA BASIN

The Lake Victoria Basin’s population of 40 million people represents 30 per cent of the total population of the five riparian countries (World Bank 2016). The Basin has a very high population density, with an average of 216 persons per km². The high population density is more pronounced in the sections of the basin in Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda (World Bank 2016). The rising population in the Basin is often blamed for the increase in the degradation of natural resources. The increase also puts pressure on infrastructure (transport, education, health, water, power and telecommunications), increases food security concerns and leads to rural–urban migration, with the attendant problems of rapid urbanization. HUMAN IMPACTS ON LAKEVICTORIA BASIN 3

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