Search

21 Feb 2021 KIGALI, Uganda

Lake Victoria's Mysterious Mass Fish-deaths

The governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have reported that within the last 2 months roughly 100 tonnes of fish, mostly of the freshwater species Nile Perch, have died due to unknown causes in Lake Victoria which borders all three countries.The mass deaths of Nile Perch, which are valued at between 10 Million and 15 Million Uganda Shillings (UGX) ($2732 - $4,096 USD) per tonne depending on their weight, has cost the government an estimated $409,840 USD in revenue so far – however, it could potentially become much more...

8 Sep 2020 OXFORD, United Kingdom

Long-term Water Thinking In Long-term Humanitarian Crises

A report published this month by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and charity Oxfam investigates how water supplies can be managed in long-term humanitarian crises."Water Supply in Protracted Humanitarian Crises" finds that long-lasting crises can have an eroding effect on infrastructure and the institutions responsible for service delivery, including humanitarian agencies and host governments...

9 Sep 2019 NAIROBI

Climate Shocks, Conflict and Economic Instability Cause Food Insecurity In East Africa

An estimated 27 million people – or 24% of the total food insecure people in the world– lived in seven of the eight countries in the IGAD region, according to a new report released by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Food Security Information Network (FSIN). A regional first, the report draws special attention to the plight of millions of people experiencing acute levels of food and nutrition insecurity in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda...

7 Sep 2019 Dartmouth, NH, United States

Droughts And Floods For Nile Basin In Coming Decades

Hot and dry conditions coupled with a rising population along the Nile River will reduce the amount of water available for residential, agricultural, and ecological uses in coming decades, according to a new study."Climate extremes impact people," said study leader Ethan Coffel of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth College, US...

25 Jul 2019 CHISAMBA, Zambia

Africa Needs An Early Alert System To Warn Of Imminent Disasters

The African Union (AU) has called for new measures to warn of imminent disasters in the continent. Harsen Nyambe, AU Head of Environment, Climate Change, Water and Land Management Commission cited the continent’s long-standing reactive response to disasters and urged member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to implement early warning systems in order to bolster reaction time and protect against disaster scenarios...

Premium

10 May 2018 SOLAI, Kenya

Kenya: 47 Dead, Hundreds Displaced As Rift Valley Flower Farming Dam "Bursts"

At least 48 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of families displaced after the walls of Patel Dam in Solai, Nakuru County, broke down on 9 May. The dam served a commercial rose farming operation in the region.Some bodies, washed away by a "wall of water", have been recovered several kilometers downstream from the disaster...

Premium

16 Nov 2017 Washington, DC

US Announces “Global Water Strategy”. Does Your Country Get a Mention? What, no Pakistan? No Yemen?

The aid agency of the USA has released a strategy document regarding the country’s vision of a “more water-secure world…where people and nations have the water they need to be healthy, prosperous, and resilient”.Full text of the Global Water Strategy can be found here.USAID and the US State Department (the aid body’s parent organization)’s document announces that the US government will work with partner countries and key stakeholders to achieve four interrelated objectives:Increasing access to sustainable safe drinking water and sanitation services, and promoting hygiene;Protecting freshwater resources;Promoting cooperation on shared waters;Strengthening water governance and financing...

1 Aug 2017 ENTEBBE

Scientists Raise Concerns Over Lake Victoria Pollution

Increased pollution is threatening the sustainable use of Lake Victoria, a vital resource for the East African region. Speaking at a conference on population, health and environment, scientists said increasing population, declining fish stocks and weeds, among others, have made matters worse for the ecosystem of Africa's fresh water lake...

16 Nov 2016 MARRAKESH

Uganda Raises Concern Over Melting Snow On Mt Rwenzori

As countries meet in Marrakesh, Morocco to discuss the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the Ugandan delegation has expressed concern over the global rise in temperature which has resulted into the melting of snow on top of Mt Rwenzori.

Premium

10 Mar 2016 ROME, Italy

Drought, Floods, Conflict Leave 34 Countries in Need of Food Assistance: FAO

Drought, floods and civil conflicts have left 34 countries -- 27 of them in Africa and the rest in Asia -- in need of food assistance, according to a new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The March 2016 Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, produced by the FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) and released this week, finds that drought associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon has “sharply reduced” 2016 crop production prospects in Southern Africa, as well as lowering estimates for harvests on the northern part of the continent...

Premium

25 Sep 2014 KAMPALA

Ugandan MPs Propose Efforts to Protect Lake Victoria

MPs under the forum Network for Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (NAWMP) are proposing alternative means of livelihood to protect Lake Victoria. The MPs expressed alarm at the rate at which Uganda’s largest fresh water lake was being depleted, during their tour of several islands in Mayuge district on Tuesday...

Premium

3 Sep 2014 KAMPALA

Uganda Could Be Water Stressed by 2025

Due to prolonged droughts and unexpected floods caused by climatic variations, Uganda may be water stressed by 2025, CARE Uganda has warned. This was revealed during the second national stakeholders' meeting organised by CARE Uganda and Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), under the auspices of Global Water Initiative East Africa (GWI EA) in Kampala recently...

Premium