Publication: A Preliminary Investigation of the Potential Costs and Benefits of Rehabilitation of the Nakivubo Wetland, Kampala
Date
2016-09
ISSN
Published
2016-09
Author(s)
Turpie, Jane
Day, Liz
Gelo Kutela, Dambala
Letley, Gwyneth
Roed, Chris
Forsythe, Kat
Abstract
Rapid urbanisation threatens existing
natural areas withincities and the ecosystem services that
they provide. This case study forms part of a broader study
that investigates the benefits of investing in Green Urban
Developmentin African cities. The Kampala case study focuses
on the Nakivubo wetland, one of several large wetland
systems that occur within and around the city. This wetland
has become severely degraded by polluted water from thecity
that passes through the wetland before entering Inner
Murchison Bay. However, as the city has continued to grow,
pollution flows into the wetland have increased
significantly, the size and assimilative capacity of the
wetland has decreased, and the costs of water treatment have
increased. These concerns, as well as the increasing
shortage of public open space areas in the city that are
available for recreation, haveled to the city’s
consideration of the rehabilitation of the Nakivubo wetland,
both to restore its functioning and to create the
opportunity for a recreational area with associated
possibilities for economic development. This study provides
a preliminary evaluation of the state of the Nakivubo
wetland, the potential costs and benefitsof its
rehabilitation and the implications for the city’sexpansion
plans. The primary objectives were defined as(1) effecting a
measurable improvement of waterquality passing out of the
Nakivubo wetland into InnerMurchison Bay, (2) ensuring
sustainable management ofthe Nakivubo wetland, (3) reducing
water quality impactson human health and (4) opening up
opportunitiesfor safe recreational use of the lower wetland.
One of the main challenges in achieving the above would be
institutional. Greater Kampala extends well beyond the
boundaries of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA),
which originally encompassed the entire city, and unless the
KCCA area is adjusted accordingly (as has been done in other
countries), the problems that will arise in a growing city
will be in areas under multiple other jurisdictions.
Citation
“Turpie, Jane; Day, Liz; Gelo Kutela, Dambala; Letley, Gwyneth; Roed, Chris; Forsythe, Kat. 2016. A Preliminary Investigation of the Potential Costs and Benefits of Rehabilitation of the Nakivubo Wetland, Kampala. Promoting Green Urban Development in Africa. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26425 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”