Climate-Change-WRM-and-WASH-in-Uganda-Country-Case-Aug-2021

Description

Climate Change WRM and WASH in Uganda Country Case Aug 2021

The climate of Uganda is characterized by variability over space and time. This variability is manifested in high rain fall, prolonged dry seasons, and changing time periods of the two. The climate variations are accompanied by fluctuations in water levels of lake basins, which contribute to flooding in the lake and river catchments and consequently impact drinking water when contaminants and pathogens are discharged into surface and underground drinking water sources. The variations in water levels of Lake Victoria over the years as depicted in figure 1 below, is a manifestation of climate change effects on water resources. The significant increase in
water levels in the 1960s was significantly due to the high inflows arising from high rainfall for a sustained period. However, the decline in water levels of the lake late in the 2000s is consequent of both climate change and non-climate change factors. The non- climate factor was mainly power generation on Owen Falls Dam.

Increased climate variability and unpredictability are the most significant expected changes in Uganda, and rising temperatures are much more anticipated than an increase average rainfall. A temperature increases of 1.5°C is expected in the next 20 years, and a hike of up to 4.3°C is expected by the year 2080. This upward curve in temperature could result in substantial impacts on water resources and related ecosystems, food security, water resources management (WRM), health of the population, settlements, and infrastructure.1 The impacts could manifest in form of drying up of surface water, dwindling of groundwater sources, water scarcity for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes, rendering water and sanitation infrastructure unusable, and high costs to develop higher technological infrastructure alternatives that are considered more resilient to the potential climatic change issues.