Assessing Wetland Degradation in a Growing Urban Area: Case of Nsooba in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Increasing population and urbanization of most of the cities with their continuous socioeconomic development and experiences put pressure on the components of the environment that are essential for their sustainable development. This includes urban wetlands which are parts of the veritable resources for the sustenance of societal ecosystems. This study assesses the process of wetland degradation in Nsooba, Kampala through the identification of the current anthropological activities that encourage the wetland degradation and also examined the levels of the water quality in its pools during the dry and wet seasons. This was done through questionnaire administration and physicochemical analysis. The study identifies the prevalence of constructions activities in the wetland area which crippled the flow of its stream. The results of the physicochemical analysis of the water quality of the pools/channels depicted that the pH values of both the wet and dry seasons were within acceptable limits while the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) was above the acceptable limits during the wet seasons signifying moderate organic pollution. In the end, the study advocates the need for the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to develop a framework that will encourage the sustainability of the city wetlands. This includes enforcement procedures that will control and stop the destructive anthropogenic activities that pervade the wetlands in the city.