The Tana River Basin

1,000 kilometers of ecological diversity

Kenya

The Tana River, Kenya’s longest river, flows for approximately 1000km draining a catchment of 126,026km². Growing competition amongst water users is projected to intensify with the development of new hydropower plants, climate variability, as well as increasing urban, agricultural, and ecosystem demands. The Tana river is also the only river providing water to the lower delta inhabited by a poor and vulnerable population. River sediments and nutrients support the health of beaches and marine parks, critical contributors to Kenya’s national economy.

A critical challenge was identified as adapting water management to climate change impacts, while finding ways of equitably and efficiently balancing competing water demands. In the Tana river basin, long-term climate resilient and sustainable solutions satisfying all water users and water developed will need to be implemented in order to avert conflict, livelihood losses, ecosystem degradation and economic hardship. Results from WISE-UP provide policymakers, water users and scientists with evidence and solutions to integrate built infrastructure into the basin’s natural ecosystem, that is critical for national development.

Key issues in the basin

Competing Water Demands

There is strong competition for water resources among many different actors: irrigation, fishing, horticulture, rice production, hydropower, domestic water use, drinking water supply for major towns.

Extreme Weather Fluctuations

Limate change is expected in the long-term to increase rainfall in the basin, but with increased extremes including drought. Floods and droughts have displaced populations within the basin; the East African region is likely to have an increase in mean annual precipitation during the rainy season alongside frequent and extreme droughts during the dry season (IPCC, 2007).

Downstream Impact

Impacts of dam construction upstream (providing 60% of Kenya’s electricity) on the downstream ecosystem and populations. There is an urgent need to maintain instream flows and the natural flooding regime of the Tana to support dry season grazing, fisheries, floodplain agriculture and the various water-dependent natural ecosystems (such as forests, wetlands and mangroves) vital to local livelihoods.