TITLE:
Water Resources of Uganda: An Assessment and Review
AUTHORS:
Francis N. W. Nsubuga, Edith N. Namutebi, Masoud Nsubuga-Ssenfuma
KEYWORDS:
Water Resources Management, Water Resources Utilisation, Climate Change, Water Resources Development, Uganda
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.6 No.14,
October
27,
2014
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.