The Tana River Basin and the opportunity for research on the land-ocean interaction in the Tana Delta

Kitheka, Johnson U.; Ongwenyi, George S.

The Tana River Basin and the opportunity for research on the land-ocean interaction in the Tana Delta | African Basins: LOICZ Global Change Assessment and Synthesis of River Catchment Coastal Sea Interaction and Human Dimensions

2002

Kitheka, Johnson U. | Ongwenyi, George S.

The Tana River basin is one of the five main drainage basins in the Republic of Kenya. In terms of river discharge, it is one of the largest and also one of the most important drainage basins. It occupies about 23% of the total land area and contributes 32% of the total river runoff in Kenya. The basin is composed of the vast eastern plateau forelands, which sprawl between the Central Kenya Highlands to the west and the coastal strip on the east. The river flows down a gentle slope towards the Indian Ocean. The government of Kenya has initiated a number of significant water resources development projects in the basin. These include agricultural projects, particularly large-scale irrigation and hydroelectric power development schemes. As the river drains into the Indian Ocean, it passes through a mangrove-fringed estuary at Kipini. Apart from discharge of freshwater and terrigenous sediments into the Indian Ocean, the river also supplies a large quantity of dissolved and particulate nutrients, which makes Ungwana Bay and the Tana Delta one of the most productive fishery grounds in Kenya. Most previous studies have focussed on the Upper Tana Basin and very few studies have been implemented for the Lower Tana Basin and the Tana Delta. This paper examines the hydrological and geographical characteristics of the basin and discusses the need for studies on land-ocean interaction at the Delta.

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