Enhanced water security and sanitation

Context

The impacts of climate change, strong population growth and the degradation of water catchment areas are leading to a decrease in water resource availability and an increase in droughts and flooding, especially in the semi-arid northern and north-eastern parts of Uganda. These changes are intensifying the need for effective, climate-sensitive water resources management and for water reservoirs for agriculture to be used efficiently.

Throughout the country, the population still does not have adequate access to a sustainable drinking water supply (79 per cent) and sanitation (19 per cent). Sanitation remains especially challenging in the capital Kampala. More than 90 per cent of the urban population is reliant on local, decentralised sanitation solutions that require faecal sludge management services. However, these services are inadequate along the sanitary disposal chain and are neither regulated nor monitored. A sustainable master plan does not exist.

The Ministry of Water and Environment has started to create the general conditions for improving the situation. On the whole, however, Ugandan water sector institutions still do not have adequate resources, expertise and capacity to implement climate change adaptation measures and inclusive sanitation.

Objective

The resources, expertise and capacity of water sector institutions have been strengthened to enable them to implement climate change adaptation measures and inclusive sanitation.

Approach

The project combines advice on policy and strategy for the sustainable design of institutional framework conditions with organisational development, technical advice for implementing partners and training of skilled professionals. It operates in three areas of activity:

1. Climate-sensitive water resources management with a focus on water basin management and efficient use of water reservoirs for agriculture.
2. Urban sanitation to implement sustainable sanitation strategies.
3. Vocational training and education for water experts. The core element here is training of water supply and sanitation experts at the vocational training school run by Uganda’s largest water utility, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). GFA Consulting Group is supporting implementation.

The project mainly works with national institutions, in northern Uganda, in the Karamoja region and in Kampala.