AVAILABILITY OF FRESHWATER IN EASTERN
AFRICA
Eastern Africa, on the whole, is fairly well endowed with freshwater,
with total average renewable freshwater resources amounting to 187 km3/yr
(UNDP and others 2000). Uganda has the largest share of this, with 39 km3/yr
(1 791 m3/capita/yr), whilst Eritrea has the least, with 2.8 km3/yr
(data on per capita resources are not available) (UNDP and others 2000). The
amount and distribution of rainfall varies across Eastern Africa, with annual
averages ranging from 147 mm for Djibouti to more than 1 000 mm for Uganda,
Rwanda and Burundi (FAOSTAT 2000). Intra-annual variations are also high,
ranging from: 50–300 mm for Djibouti; 250–700 mm for Somalia; 750–2000 mm for
Uganda; and 100–2 400 mm for Ethiopia (FAOSTAT 2000). These intra-annual
variations determine, to some extent, water availability. For example, more
than 75 per cent of Ethiopia’s rainfall occurs in intense downpours over a
period of 3–4 months, whilst conditions are relatively dry for the rest of the
year (Ministry of Water Resources 1998). The intensity of these rains and the
lack of vegetative cover cause most rainfall to be lost as run-off or
evaporation, with only a small percentage available to recharge underground
aquifers. Surface water, therefore, dominates freshwater resources in easter Africa
(the groundwater resources of Ethiopia and Eritrea, for example, are just 2.6
km3 of the total resources for these countries) (FAOSTAT 1996).
Surface water resources are also important in power generation
The world’s largest storage
dam is the Owen Falls Dam on the River Nile in Uganda. The 162-megawatt (MW)
capacity hydroelectric station at the dam supplies most of Uganda’s electricity
requirements, and exports 30 MW each year to Kenya. In 1999, however, increased
domestic demand in Uganda resulted in a drop in supply to Kenya. Kenya’s own
hydropower stations supply 78 per cent of the country’s electricity (670 MW in
1999). Ethiopia’s hydropower potential has been estimated at 15 000–30 000 MW,
although less than 2 per cent of this had been exploited by 1993, and 90 per
cent of all energy consumed is derived from biomass.With such dependency on
hydroelectric power, the eastern African countries are vulnerable to power
shortages during times of low rainfall, as experienced during 1999 and 2000 by
Kenya and Ethiopia. This, in turn, adversely impacts on the economy, as a
result of losses in industrial productivity, commercial activities, and
transport and communication networks. The government of Kenya is subsequently
promoting the development of diesel and geothermal power plants.
The drier countries in the
Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia) frequently experience drought,
and have been devastated by drought-induced famine on several occasions over
the past 30 years. The largest freshwater source in eastern Africa is Lake
Victoria, the second largest lake in the world. Lake Victoria provides
freshwater to the populations of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania directly and,
through the Nile River, to Sudan and Egypt. It is also the life and livelihood
support of millions of people living around the lake, providing: fish;
irrigation water; tourism and recreation; communications; and transport. Other
major freshwater lakes in eastern Africa include: Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania;
Lake Edward, Lake George, Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in Uganda; Lake Turkana in
Kenya; and eleven freshwater lakes in Ethiopia.
this was a bizarre experience as although they looked fantastic when finished the beautician used a razor blade to shape them and then shaved my whole face from forehead to neck. Everyone was trying not laugh good job I have a sense of humour.
