The Uganda Atlas

Rakai District Local Administration (2007)

Rainy season: Kooki hills in the background overlooking Lake Kijanebarola, Rakai District (NEMA 2008)

Origin of Lake Kijanebarola and River Rwizi-Kibare-Bukora system

During the formation of the Western Rift valley system, landscape was tilted eastwards which led to rivers and streams being reversed to flow through new routes on a down warped landscape and drowned valleys. Consequently, a fairly long river system of Rwizi-Kibare- Bukora developed. The system originates from its uppermost catchment in the south-western highlands of Itojo, Rwampara, and Buhweju in Ntungamo, Mbarara and Bushenyi districts, respectively. Due to the down warping effects, depressions were formed along its course, which were filled with water both from the river flow and from micro-catchments to form lakes Kacheera, Mburo and Kijanebarola. On its long course from the highlands to Lake Victoria, the river flows out of lakes, Kacheera and Mburo, through Kanagisa wetlands - a poorly defined valley system with numerous shallow depressions choked by wetlands; and then into Kijanebalola, a rather streak valley that was filled by water from the river and flanking cathments to form the lake. From Lake Kejanebarola, the system changes into Kibare-Bukora Rivers, which drain the Kooki hills through the Sango Bay plains, and then into Lake Victoria via the western shores. The Lake Kijanebalola feature is itself a recent formation, which is a result of drowning of part of Rwizi-Kibare river course. It is a very shallow lake with an average depth of

5 m; and occupies a wide and streak valley, covering a surface area of 35 km 2 and with a circumference of about 88 km. The name of the lake itself implies that it was formed when people were there seeing. Although the age of the lake is not readily known, it is a recent formation and could be traced and estimated through both scientific and folklore means. The water catchments of the rivers and lakes are experiencing heavy population pressures, which become the key driver of environmental change in the area. Due to population pressure, land degradation has increased to unprecedented magnitudes, especially through loss of vegetation cover and soil erosion. This is thought to have reduced the hydrological potential of the catchments and consequently the volumes of water flowing through the river to the lakes. In addition, heavy silting of the river valleys and the lakes has the effect of reduced the water holding capacity of these water systems; and worse still, the shallow nature of the lakes and the high potential evaporation rates in the area may augment the problem. Environmental change Of recent both the river system and the lakes through which it drains have experienced heavy silting and this has affected the water quality to the extent that

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