Uganda Atlas of Our Changing Environment - GRID-Arendal

Effects of the Northern By-pass during the rainy season (2007)
Prior to the peak of urbanisation being experienced now,
these two systems had a wide coverage of wetlands and
around them a buffer of thick forests. Citizens in 1960s
would use boats to cross over from Kamwokya along the
stream through the present Centenary Park to Luzira.
The streams even had a lot of water then.
This has seen most of the water in these places drained
and lowering the water tables temporailiry during the
dry seasons.
The shrinkage of Nsooba-Lubigi wetland system in the
upper catchments due to settlements has increased the
retention time of the water in the lower reaches during
rains resulting into flooding. It should be noted that the
gradient of this system is quite low making the water
meander at a slow rate as it finds its level. This process
has greatly increased on the wetland coverage downstream
around the Kampala-Wakiso border and beyond.
Areas of Namungoona have seen land that was dry being
reclaimed by the wetland overtime.
There has been contionous shrinkage of the Nakivubo
wetland system. The gradient of this drainage system is
a bit steeper than that of Nsooba-Lubigi wetland system
and so water in this system has less time to reticulate
and claim some areas. The situation was worsened by
the widening of Nakivubo Channel which saw a lot of
NEMA 2007
Flooding in Bwaise, a Kampala surbub after a heavy down pour (2008)
water being drained from these areas. This has greatly
lowered the water table in these areas leading to further
encroachment of the remaing strectches for agriculture.
Water Quality
In the 1960s Kampala had clear water in the streams and
good drinking water in the natural springs.
Overtime, the city has had the water quality
deteriorating due to:
• Contamination of water from pit latrines and
poorly constructed ‘hanging’ latrines that
are opened into the channels during rains
• Frequent flooding that ends up draining the pit
latrines directly into the water tables
Currently, more than 85% of the spring wells in Kampala
are polluted with E-coli- a sign of faecal contamination.
• Industries that have been constructed close to
water ways, releasing their effluents into the
water.
• The silt which is being eroded from the opened
up areas and during the rains is swept down into
the water sources. Overtime, Lake Victoria has
become more turbid and this has a negative
impact on the fish industry since it leads
to silting up of the breeding grounds for fish.
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NEMA 2008