Sustainable water quality management supporting Uganda’s development ambitions

Water quality challenges are major threats to human health, ecosystem health and economic development in Uganda, but inadequate data and capacity prevent effective management of water quality.

The SWAQ-Uganda project aims to contribute to the sustainable management of water resources in Uganda, with the expected outcomes of “improved knowledge and enhanced capacity in water quality management”.

The primary target group of the project is the Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM) of the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) of Uganda. The DWRM, as an institution, has an overall mandate for water resources management in Uganda. Practitioners, policymakers and researchers from the Ugandan governments and universities working in the water sector will directly benefit from the training on water quality-related aspects. Other direct beneficiaries include the national and regional development partners, investors, civil society organisations and scientists, as well as a much larger group of indirect beneficiaries, namely, Ugandans who directly or indirectly suffer from water pollution.

The project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) as its partner and DWRM of MWE as the local partner.

The main objective of the project can be summarised as “improved knowledge and enhanced institutional capacity in water quality management in support of policymaking and effective water resources management”.

Two main output areas (OP) are identified to achieve the proposed outcome:

OP1 focuses on assessing and improving water quality monitoring and information sharing. It includes two sub-OPs,1) data on water quality and relevant key information on stressors and pollutants are collated, collected and analysed, including recommendations for the upgrade of the monitoring network, and 2) bio-indicator-based based assessment and monitoring system for Ugandan streams and rivers is developed. All data will be compiled into one file system to assist data management at the DWRM. This will facilitate data and information sharing with relevant stakeholders and the public. The compiled water quality data will be complementary to the existing Water Information System (WIS) of MWE, which covers a wider scope of water data. A qualitative gender analysis will also be part of it. Results from the biomonitoring will provide the scientific basis for the DWQM to operationalise its unit for bio-indicator-based assessment and monitoring systems. OP2 focuses on enhancing institutional capacity for water quality management at the DWRM, using a 3-level capacity enhancement strategy. Systematic training will be provided for a wide range of topics (e.g., biomonitoring, data processing and analysis, data management and water quality modelling). This will be accompanied by the distribution of manuals, protocols and training materials among participants and relevant stakeholders. As part of the capacity enhancement effort, OP3 will support the operationalisation of a biomonitoring unit at the DWQM and the development of water quality guideline values (target value setting for case studies) for the ecosystem through desktop studies based on the IWQGES framework. In order to maximise the impact of project outcomes in policymaking and practical water management, expert and stakeholder workshops will be conducted to jointly explore the water quality challenges and management options together with policymakers and practitioners.