FutureWater will conduct the bio-physical assessment and hydrological analysis for the Mukungwa and Akagera Lower Catchments in Rwanda. The project will be the basis for two catchment plans to be developed through the “EIWRM Project”, funded by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by a consortium led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). FutureWater is very proud that it has another opportunity to do a project in Rwanda.
Several catchment plans have been already developed through the Dutch-funded Water for Growth programme. FutureWater played a paramount role in this programme by developing the water allocation models (WEAP) at national level and for several priority catchments. Moreover, FutureWater provided capacity building to local experts and staff on using and further developing and fine-tuning those WEAP models.
The current project aims at developing two catchment plans, for:
- Mukungwa catchment
- Akagera Lower catchment
These catchments were included in a previous national-level water resources allocation study performed by FutureWater. Four catchments were selected from this national level assessment to make catchment-level WEAP models to inform the catchment plans. A next step for the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), is to prepare catchment plans for the above two catchments, for which this project will be instrumental.
For the two catchments, this study aims at (1) providing detailed information on available and renewable water resources, both surface and groundwater, and their spatial and temporal variations; and (2) to map and quantify water uses and water demands, to develop water allocation models that can be used as tools to manage operationally and plan the catchments in a sustainable way. The scenarios (options) assessed can also be essential input into the catchment management plan. This study will produce water allocation models based on current and potential uses in a time-horizon of 30 years.
The project is carried out in collaboration with a team of local experts and one of our partners Dr. Kaan Tuncok as a team leader.
