An investigation of change in land use and their impact on lake shore wetlands a case study of Portbell Lake Victoria zone.

Abstract

Wetlands are well known for their role in storing, purifying and releasing water gradually, thereby controlling floods and providing water for life. Over the past decade, Uganda’s capital Kampala has been experiencing problems of flooding and heavy contamination of water sources whenever it rains, which is partly attributed to encroachment on wetlands around the city. Wetlands, including water bodies, cover approximately 11% (26,600 km2) of Uganda’s total area (241,500 km2). By 2001, about 9% (2,376 km2) of the total wetland area had been drained, mostly for agricultural expansion and industrial development (MWE, 2001). Studies have also reported population pressure, urban development, industrial growth and failure to enforce development control as prominent drivers of encroachment on wetlands (Davis, 1993; Ahmad et al., 2012). This contravenes the mission of the international treaty for conservation of wetlands – the 1971 Ramsar Convention: "the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world