Sustainable catchment management through enhanced Environmental Flow Assessment and Implementation in Tanzania

Water is essential to all kinds of human development and livelihood support systems, including ecosystems management, and sustains both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. However, water resources are now under pressure due to increased competing demands and global warming, which have led to complex water management challenges. Poor management of river basins has resulted in the degradation of water catchments, consequently affecting river flows in both quantity and quality with devastating impacts downstream, including on the coastal and marine ecosystems, which suffer from increased inflow of nutrients carried by rivers to the seas and sediment deposits on the sea bottom and variation of flow regimes. The extensive land-based rural activities in the upstream catchment areas play a significant role on the coastal and marine ecology by altering flow regimes and sediment deposition. The proposed project focuses on addressing poor management of river catchments and basins, which have resulted in changes to river flows, degradation of water quality, and changes in sediment loads. The project will (i)  assess the environmental flows in the upper catchment of the Mbarali River catchment and pilot the implementation with the involvement of Rufiji Basin Water Board and the beneficiary communities, (ii) build capacity of staff working at the basin, other practitioners and regulators through training, workshops  and meetings, (iii) implementing of recommended flows for sound catchment management encompassing ecosystem integrity, social well-being, and economic security to enhance poverty reduction by providing income,  clean water, sanitation and sustaining the environment that provides many direct and indirect benefits.