The Uganda Atlas

NEMA 2007

NEMA 2008

Flooding in Bwaise, a Kampala surbub after a heavy down pour (2008)

Effects of the Northern By-pass during the rainy season (2007)

Prior to the peak of urbanisation being experienced now, these two systems had a wide coverage of wetlands and around them a buffer of thick forests. Citizens in 1960s would use boats to cross over from Kamwokya along the stream through the present Centenary Park to Luzira. The streams even had a lot of water then. This has seen most of the water in these places drained and lowering the water tables temporailiry during the dry seasons. The shrinkage of Nsooba-Lubigi wetland system in the upper catchments due to settlements has increased the retention time of the water in the lower reaches during rains resulting into flooding. It should be noted that the gradient of this system is quite low making the water meander at a slow rate as it finds its level. This process has greatly increased on the wetland coverage down- stream around the Kampala-Wakiso border and beyond. Areas of Namungoona have seen land that was dry being reclaimed by the wetland overtime. There has been contionous shrinkage of the Nakivubo wetland system. The gradient of this drainage system is a bit steeper than that of Nsooba-Lubigi wetland system and so water in this system has less time to reticulate and claim some areas. The situation was worsened by the widening of Nakivubo Channel which saw a lot of

water being drained from these areas. This has greatly lowered the water table in these areas leading to further encroachment of the remaing strectches for agriculture.

Water Quality

In the 1960s Kampala had clear water in the streams and good drinking water in the natural springs. Overtime, the city has had the water quality deteriorating due to: • Contamination of water from pit latrines and poorly constructed ‘hanging’ latrines that are opened into the channels during rains Currently, more than 85% of the spring wells in Kampala are polluted with E-coli - a sign of faecal contamination. • Industries that have been constructed close to water ways, releasing their effluents into the water. The silt which is being eroded from the opened up areas and during the rains is swept down into the water sources. Overtime, Lake Victoria has • • Frequent flooding that ends up draining the pit latrines directly into the water tables

become more turbid and this has a negative impact on the fish industry since it leads to silting up of the breeding grounds for fish.

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