Morphology, water discharge and suspended load distribution along the Mara River Wetland, Tanzania

Abstract (2018)

Authors

Francesco Bregolia IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
A. Crosato IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Environmental Fluid Mechanics - CEG
Paolo Paron IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
M.E. McClain IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Water Resources - CEG
Research Group
Environmental Fluid Mechanics (CEG) (TU Delft)
Low-energy rivers Lateral channel migration
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Published Date

2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Department

Hydraulic Engineering

Research Group

Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Abstract

The transboundary Mara River, Kenya and Tanzania, is the only perennial source of inflowing surface water of a vast area including the Mara-Serengeti region. The river sustains millions of wild animals as well as a human population of nearly one million (McClain et al., 2014; Gereta et al., 2009). The basin receives two rainy seasons: a lighter in October- December and a heavier in March-May. The
river is rich in suspended sediments, which has further increased by recent deforestation, change of land uses and mining (Defersha & Melesse, 2012). Before flowing into the Lake Victoria in Tanzania, the river forms a wide
wetland that acts as a natural filter, sinking the large amount of suspended load and releasing clean water to the lake (Fig. 1). The wetland is fed by sediments and nutrients transported by the river and represents an essential but, at the
same time, fragile ecosystem. The vegetation, here dominated by papyrus, plays an important role in the stability of the wetland system. However forest fire and
farming are intense along the wetland and have deeply modified the vegetation spatial distribution.