Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

Pollution in the Murchison Bay, Lake Victoria

Algal blooms are a natural phenomena, but the species that bloom are not all native. In the Murchison Nay algal blooms are driven by an increase in nutrient loading of the lake caused by point pollution and non-point pollution .

enlarged area

wetlands extent in 1996 satellite imagery captured in 2018

Kampala

urban encroachment

Entebbe

algal blooms

imagery: sentinel data captured 04 feb 2018

Land use and land cover in the Murchison bay catchment area:

Urban expans ion The expansion of the builtup areas in Kampala, Entebbe as well as surround- ing smaller settlements is causing the loss of forested and wetland area, and increasing imprevious surfaces, which in turn increases runoff and reduces the capacity of the land to absorb pollution.

1985

1995

The population of Kampala and Entebbe has more than quadrupled in the last 50 years. However, the wastewater treatment infrastructure has not expanded at the same pace.

2003

2015

Kampala and Entebbe population from 1969 to today:

Bugala Island

2 000 000

100 000

Bukakata

1 500 000

80 000

Masaka

1 000 000

60 000

500 000

40 000

Built area Wetlands Forests

Agriculture Open water

0

20 000

1969

1980

1991

2002

2014

2019 (projection)

44

SANITATION AND WASTEWATER ATLAS OF AFRICA