Aquifer supporting 14 million people under threat from overexploitation

Human activities in the catchment area are threatening this rich ecosystem

(Hennie Stander)

By Sarah Mawarere for UBC Radio in Uganda

Groundwater is the most important source of drinking water for humans, livestock and wildlife. The Nile Basin Initiative, an intergovernmental partnership of 10 countries, says over 70 percent of the rural population in the Nile Basin region depend on groundwater. The Kagera Aquifer is one source, and is a lifeline for people in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Human activities are degrading land in the catchment area, and causing biodiversity loss which threatens the existence of Kagera River and its ecosystem. Sarah Mawarere spoke to experts about what can be done to restore this precious resource.

Listen to Sarah’s full report here.

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate.