Groundwater is the most important source of drinking water for people as well as livestock and wildlife watering in the 11 countries in the Nile Basin. According to the Nile Basin Initiative, an intergovernmental partnership of 10 Nile Basin countries, over 70 percent of the rural population in this region depends on groundwater. 

Groundwater is stored in aquifers. One such aquifer in the Nile Basin is the Kagera shared by Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

But as Sarah Mawerere, a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation reports, the 5,800 Km2 aquifer is under threat due to a number of reasons including; low awareness and sensitization among the relevant institutions and the public at large on the environmental issues and the threats of climate change.

Listen to the complete report by Sarah Mawerere by clicking on the audio player below.

This article was supported by InfoNile with funding from the Nile Basin Initiative.