Burundi is a small, mountainous country, lying in the extreme southwestern part of the basin and contributing flow to Lake Victoria. It lies on the divide between the Congo and Nile Basins, with about half the national land area in each Basin.

he boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI),, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.Official Name: Republic of Burundi
Capital: Bujumbura
Head of State: President Domitien NDAYIZEYE
Currency Burundi franc (FBu)
Total Population: 6,356,000
GDP (US$): 4 billion
GNI per Capita
(US$) $600
Total Land Area: 27,834 sq. km.
Languages Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Source: The Worldbank World Development Indicators Database and the CIA factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.

A large number of national institutions, including nine government ministries, and funding organizations are involved in the management of water resources. This has resulted in poor coordination, planning, and exploitation of the resource, creating conflicts in the allocation of water among sectors and incoherent collection and storage of information. This fragmentation has had significant impacts on the development and management of national water resources, especially drinking water supply and sanitation. In 1992 a legal framework for water was set up, but until now it is not supported by detailed regulations or means of implementation, handicapping its effectiveness. A new national water policy is now under development.

The overall objectives in the sector are to find efficient and equitable means of meeting demands for potable water and other uses, to improve the availability of water at an affordable price, to coordinate sectoral interests, and to achieve optimal utilization of water in the context of sustainable development in Burundi. The main issues are outlined below.

Policy. The sector is controlled by several ministries, leading to competition in the sharing of responsibilities, with little compatibility in the skills available. The legal framework of 1992 has many gaps, and currently lacks a means of implementation. It has been suggested that a single institution should be provided with the legal means to coordinate the sectoral interests and achieve stable management of water resources. The guiding principles of a new water policy have been formulated, and this is currently being further developed under the FAO project.

Planning and development. There are significant problems in the planning and utilization of water resources due to poor coordination of activities between the various actors in the government as well as the challenges posed by physical factors (steep relief, dispersed pattern of settlement, high spatial and temporal variability of the resource). Planning and management of water resources in Burundi aims to address the multi-sectoral use of resources, taking account of environmental aspects and allowing for the costs of operation, maintenance, and upgrading of infrastructure. One of the main issues for the future is the improvement of access to potable drinking water.

Environment. Problems include drought and desertification in peripheral regions, progressive decline in water quality due to demographic pressure, deforestation and soil erosion, especially along the river Ruvubu, bacterial pollution from untreated sewage discharge which affects drinking water supplies, and high sediment loads which impair hydropower generation.

he Democratic Republic of Congo is dominated by the Congo Basin which is the world’s second largest river in terms of discharge. The country lies on the southwestern fringes of the Nile Basin, and the Nile portion constitutes less than 2 percent of the national land area. It contributes flow into the equatorial lakes region, lying along the border with Uganda.

 

Official Name: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Republique Democratique du Congo
Capital: Kinshasa
Head of State: President Joseph KABILA

 

Currency Congolese Franc (CDF)
Total Population: 58,784,400
GDP (US$): $40.05 billion
GNI per Capita (US$) $700
Total Land Area: 2,267,600 sq. km.

Source: The Worldbank World Development Indicators Database and the CIA factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.

 

The country has abundant water resources potential, mainly in the catchment of the River Congo. The Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Fisheries and Forests, which has overall responsibility for water resources, and the other institutions involved are challenged in carrying out their tasks due to lack of financial resources, lack of equipment and technical tools, and the absence of water specialists. There is an urgent need for well-trained staff in all aspects of water resources. Other important issues follow.

Policy. At present there is no overall national strategy guiding the sector. A national water law is currently being developed. The objectives are to provide for the conservation of the common resources, reconcilement of different uses, prevention of pollution and harmful effects from floods, efficient use through treating water as an economic resource, and prevention of over-exploitation.

Planning and development. There are major shortcomings and needs in the water supply and sanitation sector, for which development plans have been devised but are lacking implementation. There is also a lack of general urban planning. Irrigated agriculture is presently of little importance, and the vast hydropower potential mainly outside the Nile Basin is so far relatively little developed. Overall, there is an urgent need for an improved institutional framework to strengthen and optimize planning, implementation, and coordination of programs.

Environment. Some of the rivers in D.R. Congo suffer from high suspended solids loads and several wetlands have become degraded. Water hyacinth problems are important in the rivers Kasai and Congo, but are not yet very significant in the Nile Basin part of the country.

Data and information. The water resources of the country are little known. There have been few studies, data are insufficient, and there is no central facility to store and process data.

Ethiopia lies in the eastern part of the basin. The flows of the Blue Nile (Abbay), the largest of the basin’s tributaries, and of several other important tributaries are generated in the country. These rivers join the White Nile in Sudan to form the main Nile, contributing in average over 85 percent of the flow arriving at Aswan in Egypt (according to different estimates). The Nile Basin covers about 32 percent of the national land area, but accounts for a higher proportion of the total water resources.

Nile Basin flows within Kenya form part of the inflow to Lake Victoria. Although the Nile Basin portion forms only about 8 percent of the national area, it is more significant in terms of water resources as much of the country has low rainfall.

The uneven distribution of water resources both in space and time, with many areas suffering from surface water deficit, is one of the major challenges. Over the country as a whole, lack of access to adequate water resources is one of the most critical hindrances to socio-economic development. Water conservation has been given priority as a means of removing water availability constraints. Other important issues in the sector include those below.

Official Name: Republic of Kenya
Capital: Nairobi
Head of State: President Mwai Kibaki
Currency: Kenya Shilling
Total Population:: 31.9 million
GDP (US$): 12.6 billion
GNI per Capita: (US$) 390
Total Land Area: 582,640 sq. km.

Source: The Worldbank World Development Indicators Database and the CIA factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.

Policy. A new National Water Policy was launched in 1999, which sees the government mainly as a regulator and provider of an enabling environment. The prime actors in water resource development and management will be the communities themselves or the private sector. The policy requires the establishment of an efficient and effective institutional framework for development and management of the sector, and the development of a sound and sustainable financing system for effective water resources management, water supply, and sanitation development. Financial resources are intended to be mobilized by treating water as an economic and social good, and by using the “polluter pays” principle. Other policy elements include taking an integrated approach to water resources management, encouraging community participation, establishing appropriate institutions, and decentralizing decisionmaking to Basin and sub-basin levels.

Planning and development. The government is withdrawing from direct provision of water services, and will act as a regulator and provider of an enabling environment. For rural water supply and sanitation the prime actors for development and management will be the communities themselves, with assistance coming from the government, NGOs, and donor agencies. In urban water supply, the prime actors used to be the government, with communities playing only a recipient role, but now increased involvement of the private sector is being encouraged. All these changes increase the need for regulations, technical guidelines, and standards to guide the actors to ensure quality and efficiency. The key issue remains the need for increased development to meet demands and to assist in poverty alleviation.

Environment. The impact of water resources development on the environment is a significant concern. Farming activities have extended to steep hill slopes in certain tributaries. The resulting soil erosion and sedimentation are serious problems. Other environmental issues include the maintenance of water quality, conservation of wetlands, and control of aquatic weeds.

Data and information. There is a need for improvement of water resources assessment, monitoring, and information systems.

 

Rwanda is a small, mountainous country, lying in the extreme southwestern part of the Nile Basin and contributing flow to Lake Victoria. It lies on the divide between the Congo and Nile Basins, with about 80 percent of the land area in the Nile Basin.

Water is regarded as a common good and water management is under the guardianship of the government, which provides the authority for exploitation of the resource, as well as monitoring and controlling activities. The water sector is the responsibility of several different institutions and there is a lack of coordination of activities and approach to planning. Financial resources are insufficient resulting in the lack of means for good management. There is a lack of water specialists, about 60 percent of them having left the country because of the war. This is particularly the case for government personnel where there are very few young, well-trained staff.

Other important issues are the unequal distribution of water in time and space, lack of public awareness of the value of water and the link of health issues and sanitation, and the inefficient use of water in agriculture. Further specific issues include those below.

Official Name: Republic of Rwanda
Capital: Kigali
Head of State: President Paul KAGAME
Currency : Rwandan franc
Total Population: 8,440,820
GDP (US$): 10.11 billion
GNI per Capita
(US$) $1,300
Total Area: 26,338 sq km
Water Area: 1,390 sq km
Languages Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Source: The Worldbank World Development Indicators Database and the CIA factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.

Policy. Rwanda has recently adopted a national water policy and a number of guidelines have been developed. The policy covers the following broad areas: the institutional and legal framework; evaluation of the availability of resources and of demands; development strategies and alternative options, capacity-building; finances, role of other organizations. At present, strategies and the means for implementation are lacking due to shortage of funds, and there is no ability to monitor and control compliance in regards to existing regulations.

Planning and development. There is no effective legal framework regulating industrial water use. Additionally, the water resources infrastructure is poorly managed, and there is insufficient investment in the sector. There is an urgent need to improve the treatment and distribution of drinking water, taking into account the dispersed patterns of settlement. Effective national plans are needed for the sustainable development of agriculture, energy, fisheries, provision of water for livestock, and for soil conservation.

Environment. Water quality is generally good, but there are localized problems from high sediment loads and toxic materials from mining. Micro-biological pollution from untreated domestic sources is a threat to health. The detrimental effect of aquatic weeds is a major concern; soil erosion problems are significant; and reforestation is needed in the semi-arid zones to help prevent drought and desertification.

Data and information. Knowledge of the quantity and quality of the resource is inadequate, and data are often unreliable. Resources available for collecting and processing the basic data on hydrology and hydrogeology are insufficient. There is a lack of well-trained staff, research efforts and dissemination of existing information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uganda is situated almost entirely within the Nile Basin, with more than 98 percent of the total land area in the basin. It is in the equatorial lakes region, contributing flow to Lake Victoria and other lakes, while the outflow from the lakes also pass through Uganda before flowing into Sudan.

Official Name: Republic of Uganda

Capital: Kampala

Head of State: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

Currency: Uganda Shilling

Total Population: 25.3 million

GDP (US$): 6.2 billion

GNI per Capita:(US$) 240

Total Land Area: 236,860 sq. km.

Source: The Worldbank World Development Indicators Database and the CIA factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.
During the last ten years vigorous steps have been taken to rationalize water resources management and development by means of a range of statutes, policies, and action plans on environment and water. These provide the framework for the rational and sustainable management and use of water, the provision of clean water for domestic purposes to all, the orderly development and use of water for purposes other than domestic use, and the control of pollution. The government’s strategy includes providing an enabling environment, with the government as an enabler, and regulatory control only in response to need, at enforceable levels, and combined with economic incentives. Institutional development is being carried out by means of a cross-sectoral coordination mechanism, and integrated approaches to project development are being followed.

Water resources are not evenly distributed in time and space and therefore large areas of the country are threatened by persistent periods of floods and drought and by uncertainties over the timing of wet seasons. Land use practices are having an increasing negative impact on the quantity and quality of water. Groundwater is limited in yield and extent, it is often corrosive, and recharge rates are generally low. Other significant issues are outlined below.

Policy. The new national water policy, adopted in 1999, addresses current water management issues, elaborating on the policy objectives, guiding principles, and strategies for management of water resources, provision of domestic water supply, sanitation, and water for production. Earlier plans and statutes had set out the policy options and guidelines for the protection and development of water resources, specified a framework for their sustainable management, and provided for the use, protection and management of water resources and supply, and for the constitution of water and sewage authorities.

Planning and development. Management functions are being delegated to the lowest appropriate levels, and private sector involvement, women’s participation, and the development of water resources management capacities are being pursued. In terms of planning and prioritization, domestic demands have first priority, with allocation to other purposes based on socio-economic and environmental criteria. The low levels of provision of clean domestic water supplies and hygienic sanitation remain a key problem.

Source of the NileEnvironment. Important issues are land use changes which are having an increasing impact on the quantity and quality of water and degradation of wetlands, the deterioration in water quality and ecology of Lake Victoria and the Victoria Nile, proliferation of water hyacinth, and pollution by toxic metals and other hazardous chemicals from mines. The increasing encroachment in forested areas resulting in the loss of forest biomass and the drainage and conversion of wetlands and forest biomass are a large concern in Uganda.

Data and information. An effective water resources monitoring and assessment facility is a prerequisite to being able to manage the emerging cross-sectoral conflicts arising from shortage and competition for water, but this capacity is only now starting to be built. Currently there is insufficient data for effective planning.