Mara River Basin Kenya/Tanzania

Global Water for Sustainability Program (GLOWS)

September 10, 2010

Mara River Basin Kenya/Tanzania

Goals and Tasks

Local Partners

Mara Hydrological Model

Pastaza River Basin Ecuador/Peru

Wakal River Basin Rajasthan, India

Goals and TasksLocal PartnersMara Hydrological ModelMara River Basin Kenya/TanzaniaGoals and TasksLocal PartnersPastaza River Basin Ecuador/PeruGoals and TasksLocal PartnersWakal River Basin Rajasthan, India

Mara Basin Profile

The Mara River Basin is a trans-boundary basin shared between Kenya and Tanzania, and is also part of the larger Nile Basin that is shared by nine countries. Several rivers and springs form the Mara River catchment basin, including five principal tributaries. The Mara River Basin can be divided into four distinct physical and/or land-use sections, mainly on the basis of location along the river. The upper catchment comprises two of these sections: first, the forested Mau Escarpment and second, a section characterized by large-scale agricultural farms. Some of the large-scale agricultural farms are irrigated using water from the Mara River. The Mara River then runs through the third section, which is open savannah grassland protected by the Masai Mara Reserve on the Kenyan side and the Serengeti National Park on the Tanzanian side, two important and renowned protected areas in the region. The flood plains comprise the fourth section and are located in Tanzania where the Mara River discharges into Lake Victoria. High human and livestock population densities and subsistence agriculture characterize this section.

Basin Issues

Stakeholders in the Mara River Basin are increasingly facing water shortages as well as problems with poor water quality and environmental degradation. Important threats include loss of native forest cover in the upper parts of the catchment and along rivers, unsustainable agricultural expansion and intensification (including irrigation), human population growth, poorly planned tourist facilities, and water pollution and abstractions by industries and urban settlements. The situation is exacerbated by a failure of local, national and regional legislation and a lack of institutional structures to address water resource issues. These problems have resulted in decreasing water supplies, competition for and conflicts over available water, inappropriate and poorly planned land use, and ineffective water resource management systems in the two countries. These problems have direct impacts on local people’s incomes, health, food security, natural resources and ultimately on the Masai Mara Reserve and Serengeti National Park conservation areas

Quick Stats

Countries: Kenya & Tanzania

Catchment Area: ~13,750 km2; 65% in Kenya and 35% in Tanzania
Rainfall: 1400 mm/year in the Mau Escarpment to 500-700 mm/year in the dry plains of NW Tanzania
Elevation Range: 3000 m asl to 1300 m asl

Length: ~395 km
Source: Mau forest complex, Kenya
Outlet: Lake Victoria at Musoma, Tanzania
Main Tributaries: Nyangores River, Amala River, Sand River, Talek River, Borogonja River
Larger Basin: Nile Basin

Land Uses
Forests: Eastern and Southwestern Mau, Ol-pusimoru, Chepalangu, Transmara; Conservation areas: Masai-Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania; Large-scale agriculture: tea, maize, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, rice; Rainfed agriculture: maize, beans, other cereals, root crops, fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee; Livestock: cattle, goat, sheep, poultry; Industrial: logging, tourism, gold mining, urban business and trade ; Aquaculture: tilapia

Districts: Kenya: Nakuru, Narok, TransMara, Kericho, Bomet; Tanzania: Tarime, Serengeti, Musoma

Cultures: Ogiek, Kipsigis, Kikuyu, Massai, Wakurya, Wajaluo, Wajita