“Assessment of the integrated development and management of water resources for productive and equitable use in the Nyabugogo wetland”

Abstract

Rwanda is rapidly developing after the 1994 genocide. This development is highly concentrated in the Nyabugogo catchment where Kigali City is located. Water resources planning and management is an important component of development processes and therefore its integrated management is required to assure effective long term development as regards to social and economic development; however there is limited knowledge in assessment of the Integrated Development and Management of Water Resources for Productive and Equitable Use in the Nyabugogo wetland. The main objective of this study was to assess the alternative means for increasing productivity of water, through better management of multiple water uses in the Nyabugogo catchment. Precipitation, evaporation data were obtained from Meteorological office in Kigali, Flow/ discharge used were computed and were obtained from integrated water resources management department of Rwanda natural resources authority and run –off data estimates were computed and used and a delineated map using ArcGIS was used to calculate the wetland area.The percentage of land use in the catchment is distributed as follows: agriculture 88.65%, forest 3.99%, urban area 1.93%, wetland 3.39%, and Lake 2.04%and this is almost the same in the wetland area of the studya digitized land use map and hydrological soil group classification of the catchment were used to estimate the runoff coefficient of nyabugogo wetland. Storage capacities, increased water losses from increased evaporation, increased surface run off were found to be the dominant features of the wetland.