Sharing Water

This book is about the multifarious nature of water and how communities have to protect and manage this vital resource. The difficulty of solving problems and conflicts related to water is exemplified by studies of the water system found in the Kampala area, Uganda, and Lake Victoria. Water is a unique substance. It is the solvent of life on Earth and fundamental to all social systems. This book is about the multifarious nature of water and how communities must protect and manage this vital resource. The studies elucidate the difficulties of sharing water. They attempt to reveal and characterise the nature of different types of conflicts and problems related to water, and to indicate possible solutions. Kampala City, Uganda's capital, and its interactions with nearby Murchison Bay in Lake Victoria are investigated. In this area, water problems are caused both by nature and by the expansion of the established society. Human impacts on nature have generated problems related to floods, water quality and water-borne diseases. Predicaments are related to water distribution difficulties, land tenure issues, and challenges of draining, sewerage and waterworks. This book discusses how nature, people and society in Kampala area handle this nexus of water issues. The conflicts and problems related to water in Kampala City are representative for many other areas in tropical Africa.