Rapid environmental flow assessment for sustainable water resource management in Tanzania's Lower Rufiji River Basin: A scoping review

Offoro N Kimambo; Winfred Mbungu; Goodluck D Massawe; Amina A Hamad; Elly J Ligate

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22509

Rapid environmental flow assessment for sustainable water resource management in Tanzania's Lower Rufiji River Basin: A scoping review

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 18;9(11):e22509. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22509. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Offoro N Kimambo¹, Winfred Mbungu², Goodluck D Massawe³, Amina A Hamad¹, Elly J Ligate⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania.
² Department of Engineering Sciences and Technology, School of Engineering and Technology, SUA.
³ Department of Policy, Planning and Management, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, SUA.
⁴ Department of Bioscience, CoNAS, SUA.

Abstract

The use of Environmental flow (e-Flow) assessment is a widely adopted approach to facilitate informed decision-making concerning sustainable management and utilization of water resources in river systems. The Lower Rufiji River Basin faces various developmental pressures from several sectors, including hydropower, mining, agriculture, livestock, fishing, and tourism, necessitating effective management of the sub-catchment area to prevent significant environmental impacts. Consequently, it is essential to acquire a comprehensive comprehension of the catchment's attributes, encompassing both climatic and non-climatic factors. Supported by e-Flow batch analysis of the available data at Stiegler's Gorge using the global environmental flow calculator, a scoping review was conducted to determine the status of environmental flow in the lower Rufiji River basin. The findings suggest that, while there has been progress in understanding eFlow estimation, limited data and ecohydrological processes' poor comprehension still present challenges. Hydrological and holistic methodologies are commonly employed in Tanzania; however, uncertainties remain, raising questions concerning trust between decision-making tools and water resource utilization by the public. Climate variability influences e-Flow in the Rufiji River Basin, and the projections under various scenarios indicate an increased temperature, varying rainfall, and humidity levels. Further, the area has been identified as a vulnerable "hotspot" where communities face greater climate stressor risks. With the existing and planned developmental projects in the basin, including hydroelectric dams, mining, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, it is critical to assess e-Flow in the Lower Rufiji River basin to ensure resource sustainability. Advocating for preserving a dynamic environmental flow regime in rivers is recommended, considering the Rufiji River Basin's habitat connectivity. The future research direction should be quantifying the contribution of base flow to the surface flow, and salinity dynamics in the Lower Rufiji River Basin, which can affect the Delta's biodiversity.

Keywords: And lower rufiji river basin; Environmental flow; Scoping review; Sustainability; Tanzania; Water use resources.

Publication types

Review