Problem Statement:

Vegetation clearing alters hydrological patterns of an area. It can even disturb vegetation and habitats of wild animals and other creatures. Soils are disturbed by changing their textures, fertility, water retention capacity and all other characteristics. Other effects include changing of river courses and patterns and drying of water bodies. In Zanzibar, vegetation clearing for agriculture has led to serious degradation. Examples include the drying up of rivers Mto Mchanga, Mtoni, Kisongoni, Mto Pepe just to mention a few. Furthermore, rivers and rice valleys of Kianga, Mwera and Pongwe are in critical situation. Dried rivers, valleys and catchment areas always lead to less water which in turn affect crop production, hunger and poverty.

Project objective:

Conservation of water sources and catchment areas in 7 sites in the villages of Kianga, Mwera, Ndunduke, Masingini, Welezo, Mto Pepo and Kijichi.

Implementation Strategy:

? Planting water conserving trees and plants in affected source points through community involvement
? Documenting the hydrological history of water sources in the areas
? Mobilizing and sensitizing communities on the role of trees for water conservation and livelihood improvement
? Identifying factors that led to drying up of the springs and rivers with the view to addressing those
? Linking the impact of climate change on water supply and crop production in rice4 valleys with the view to teasing out lessons learnt