Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change by Establishing Early Warning and Disaster Preparedness Systems and Support for Integrated Watershed Management in Flood Prone Areas

Rwanda is characterized by mountainous landscapes, which are recognized as particularly vulnerable ecosystems to climate change. Running along the country in a north-south axis there is a mountain chain that forms part of the divide between the Nile and Congo watersheds, two of Africa’s largest. The Congo basin is made up of short waterways leading to Lake Kivu. The Nile basin covers almost all of the country. Most of the rivers start from the slopes of the Nile-Congo watershed crest, from within the Gishwati ecosystem. The ecology of this ecosystem is very dynamic and complex and the lakes and rivers constantly change their size and shape according to rainfall and the resulting river flow. Rainfall in this ecosystem can be heavy, measuring up to 66 mm per day , which often results in violent floods.

The project aims to reduce the vulnerability of the Gishwati ecosystems and its associated Nile-Congo crest watersheds, and the people that derive their livelihoods from it, to increased floods and droughts due to climate change. The proposed project intervention area includes regions within the crest area of Nile-Congo basins, also categorized as the Gishwati ecosystem, identified through the NAPA process as being among the most vulnerable to climate change. These regions are already being adversely affected by the increased frequency in floods and landslides.