Save River Mpanga, save our Future
Ensuring availability of clean water sources and corresponding sustainable management was defined by the UN as a main Goal in Sustainable Development (SDG). The River Mpanga, belonging to the headwaters of the Nile basin in western Uganda, is one of the blue lifelines of the country in risk of degradation. Anthropogenic impacts such as sand mining, agriculture, sewage water runoffs and poor sanitation practiced led to a reduction in water quality within the last decades. Lacking alternatives, people need to rely on the river as a main water source for domestic use and irrigation.
In November 2019 scientists from the Institute of Development Research (IDR) at the University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna (BOKU) in collaboration with AER team members from the School of Agriculture and Environmental sciences at the Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) together assessed the water quality status of River Mpanga. Scientists from both, BOKU and MMU raised awareness by addressing key issues of anthropogenic impacts and discussed mitigation strategies to students and responsive stakeholders also emphasizing the need for further research within the years to come. The workshops included concepts of adaptive management practices and training in equipment for water quality assessment to facilitate future research in this field. However, the lively discussion on sustainable water management practices for the Rwenzori region within the AER team still continuous…