MaMa-Hydro: Exploring water resources planning and management options in the Nyangores headwater catchment of the vulnerable Maasai Mara river basin in Kenya

Kenya, like many developing countries, is facing formidable freshwater planning and management challenges. Less than 65% of the population has access to safe drinking water. The water systems are undergoing significant environmental degradation due to inapt human practices and climate change effects. Very little attention has been paid to scientific approaches to protect the vulnerable headwater catchments important for replenishing the surface water systems. With climate change likely to aggravate the water scarcity, it has become more urgent to adopt innovative techniques for decision support towards sustainable water resources management. Such techniques provide an opportunity to examine alternative water development, planning and management options by maintaining water demand and supply information, taking into account multiple and competing uses within a river basin. In this study, we will evaluate the status of water resources in the upstream Nyangores sub-basin of the Maasai Mara river basin MRB for purposes of understanding the security of the existing surface water systems in the future. To achieve this, a water management tool known as the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) will be applied to assess the water demand and supply presently and in the near future, under potential climate change conditions. Because water management tools for studies of this nature are data intensive, the approach will be developed and tested in the small upstream but vulnerable Nyangores catchment. The study will provide clear procedures and results required towards applying the model in large areas of the basin in the future. The project will also strengthen the institutional collaboration between the WEEN and IWHW through exchange of students, training materials and expertise in the areas of hydrology and water resources management.