The EWMR Technical Assistance (TA) consortium in collaboration with RWB is scaling up catchment management planning in Mukungwa and Akagera Lower catchments. The first step is a biophysical assessment and hydrological analysis with the support of Future Water. This critical piece of work will inform participatory catchment management and enable water allocation planning through the investigation of scenarios in which the hydrological system is modified. The activity aims to strengthen resilience to the various drivers of degradation including climate-change and the impacts of human activities such as agriculture, deforestation and mining etc.
Photo: IUCN ESARO
The cascade of hydropower stations in Mukungwa catchment, the decreasing flows from Lake Burera, due to various factors including land cover change, underscores the need for strategic catchment planning, informed in part by this assessment. The Lower Akagera Catchment has added complexity due to being a transboundary catchment, sharing boundaries with Tanzania and relying on water from Burundi. While the catchment receives major inflow from the upper Akagera and Ruvubu rivers, the two main tributaries in Rwanda (Kamiramugezi and Karangaza rivers) have low and ephemeral flows at the end of the dry season when demand is highest, creating challenges for decision making on resource use.
In addition to the biophysical assessment and hydrological analysis Future Water has also initiated a capacity building programme for RWB with funding support from NUFFIC, The Netherlands Government Organization for Internationalization in Education, that includes training on use of the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) in hydrological modelling and water allocation planning, and use of the Google Earth Engine to enable analysis of geospatial datasets.
Simultaneous to the biophysical assessment and hydrological analysis the TA consortium has also launched a detailed socio-economic and livelihood assessment with support from the High Lands Centre for Leadership and Development (L4D) Ltd. This socio-economic and livelihood assessment will identify needs and opportunities that support sustainable livelihoods considering available land and water resources, and developing recommendations for catchment and landscape restoration interventions to safeguard livelihoods.
Further to the above IUCN is leading an Ecosystem Service Valuation for both catchments to quantify direct and indirect use and non-use value that will contribute not only to recognition of the services provided by the catchment ecosystems, but also inform prioritization and strategic decision-making concerning land use and development in the two catchments with the aim of maximising the potential revenue streams and incentivising sustainable catchment management over the long-term.
