Impact of land use and land cover changes on water flows: a case of Malagarasi river catchment in Tanzania

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dc.contributor.authorAndrea, Majaliwa Mstafa
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-09T09:44:32Z
dc.date.available2024-05-09T09:44:32Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.descriptionDissertation
dc.description.abstractMalagarasi River catchment represents one of the largest and most significant transboundary natural ecosystems in Africa. The catchment constitutes about one third of the catchment area for Lake Tanganyika. There is growing concern: however, regarding land degradation in the catchment, particularly deforestation affecting the natural resource base and the river flow. This study utilized remote sensing and geographical information system tools, climatic data, available hydrological data and local resident's perception to determine the magnitude of the land-use and cover changes in the Malagarasi catchment. and the effects of changes on the river flows over the past 28 years. The results revealed that there has been considerable land-use and cover change. For the period under study (1984/86 and 2000/02). the analysis revealed an annual increase in forest cover and water areas by +3.24% and +2.95% per year respectively while, settlement/cultivation increased at +1.05% per year. Meanwhile, woodland and wetland vegetation/marsh declined by - 0.09% and -2.51 per year respectively. The analysis of mean monthly flow indicated variations in peaking. The peak How has changed from May for 1975-1980 to April for 1981-2002 periods. Early attainments of peak flow are related to the observed variations attributed to land use and cover change. The trend analysis on annual rainfall indicated no significant differences at 95% level of significance. The principal causes for land use and land cover change were found to include deforestation, forest reserve encroachment, expanding agricultural activities and population growth. Given the significance of the stream flow to the local people, a set of measures aimed at enhancing groundwater recharge are required to sustain the water resource and maintain a balanced dry-season flow in the catchment. Generally, an integrated catchment management approach. whereby the whole of the catchment can be holistically viewed and managed, would be desirable.
dc.description.sponsorshipBelgium Embassy through the Belgium Technical Corporation (BTC)
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/6068
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSokoine University of Agriculture
dc.subjectLand use
dc.subjectLand cover changes
dc.subjectWater flows
dc.subjectMalagarasi river catchment
dc.subjectTanzania
dc.titleImpact of land use and land cover changes on water flows: a case of Malagarasi river catchment in Tanzania
dc.typeThesis

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