A city taking action

The Ugandan city will take action against flooding and water insecurity

Kampala is Uganda’s largest city and is located at the periphery of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest fresh water lake. Kampala is rapidly growing, with economic opportunities driving the rural-urban migration, and consequently increasing the rate of informal settlements. With the current and projected increase in precipitation intensity under all climate change scenarios, flooding is ultimately one of the major risks to infrastructure, human settlements, and the industrial, health, and business sectors in Kampala City. Following decades of inefficient city planning and management, the Government of Uganda decided to take action to transform Kampala into a vibrant, attractive and sustainable city.

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is focusing their efforts on becoming a water sensitive city in regards to flood vulnerabilities and water security, using the Kampala Physical Development Plan. KCCA has also established partnerships with National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), government ministries, development agencies, NGOs, the private sector and local communities to implement various projects that address sustainable urban water systems. Improvements will include the expansion of stormwater drains in flood-prone areas, as well as updating the Kampala Drainage Master Plan of 2003 to help plan a city-wide strategy to reduce flood impacts.

Contact IWA Members in Kampala to learn more about their water-wise activities

The urbanization rate in Kamapala is far outpacing service delivery in the city, with a lag in the development of infrastructure, sanitation services and freshwater supply, in addition to preparing for flood risks and other impacts from a changing climate. Industries and commercial enterprises are also growing, continuing to threaten water supply, sewerage, waste management and sanitation systems.

Currently, Kampala’s city sewerage network covers less than 10% of the city, with the remaining areas relying on onsite sanitation, such as pit latrines or septic tanks. Fecal sludge management (FSM) remains a major problem, especially in the informal settlements, threatening environmental and water quality. Moreover, the impacts of climate change are city-wide, as Kampala is characterized by hills and valleys making it vulnerable to frequent flooding during heavy rains. Increased expansion of paved areas and the degradation of wetlands and green spaces have also escalated the problem.

Following decades of inefficient city planning and management, the Government of Uganda decided to take action focusing on transforming Kampala into a vibrant, attractive and sustainable city. Consequently, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) was established in 2011 to set the pace for this vision. The KCCA, working with other urban water stakeholders, are gearing up to achieve the SDG 6 on safe access to water and sanitation for all.

A project funded by the World Bank aims to enhance infrastructure and the institutional capacity of the KCCA to improve urban mobility and drainage management in Kampala. Improvements will include expansion of stormwater drains in flood-prone areas, as well as updating the Kampala Drainage Master Plan of 2003 to help plan a city-wide strategy to reduce flood impacts.

Moreover, city greening projects are taking place to enhance beautification and to provide recreation opportunities as well as reducing surface runoff. This is mainly implemented by KCCA in partnership with the private sector.

Many other projects are also in place to improve FSM through circular economy approaches and involve local stakeholders in the process. WaterAid Uganda aims to achieve just this, with construction of new sanitation facilities in schools and offer workshops to communities on waste management activities.

This project aims to rehabilitate the distribution network and extend water treatment capacity, while increasing coverage, reliability and access to water supply and sewerage services for the population, with the main focus on the urban poor living in informal settlements. NWSC is the implementing agency working in close collaboration with KCCA. Core priorities addressing water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements include; i) a new fecal sludge treatment plant; ii) fecal sludge dumping points; iii) public and institutional toilets in informal settlements; and iv) pre-paid meters for urban poor to access clean and safe water supply at utility tariffs.