__NOTOC__{{Language-box|english_link= Water Portal / Rainwater Harvesting / Rwambu, Uganda - Clearwater Revival | french_link= Rwambu, Ouganda - Faire revivre les eaux claires | spanish_link= Coming soon | hindi_link= वाटर पोर्टल / वर्षाजल संचयन / रवांबू, यूगांडा - निर्मलजल पुनर्जीवन | malayalam_link= Coming soon | tamil_link= Coming soon | korean_link= Coming soon | chinese_link=Rwambu地区, 乌干达 - 净水再现 | indonesian_link= Coming soon | japanese_link= ウガンダのルワンブ-浄水の再生 }}
[[Image:Rwambu spring.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A spring in the Rwenzori mountains. Photo: [http://rwecovoice.blogspot.com/2010/07/poor-workmanship-cause-for-water.html Rwenzori People's Voice]]]
<font size="2" color=#06A5D1555555>'''Project period:''' Implementation runs October 2012 up to December 2013. <br>Documentation and learning will take a longer time, possibly until the end of 2014.<br>A plan for research and documentation via satellite imagery is currently being developed together with [http://www.metameta.nl/ MetaMeta]. </font>
===Pilot challenge===
====Current situation====
Several hillsides in the area of different soils and inclination have all seen an increase in agricultural activity, but a dropping water table. Even though this area receives ample rainfall, 700 to 1000 mm, the water table dropped considerably the past years and springs and shallow wells have dried up, possibly due to the rapid increase in agricultural activity and the decrease of forest and wetland. Local people have seen in recent years that rainfall has become more erratic, indicating the effects of climate change.
====Cultural Socioeconomic and socioeconomic cultural conditions====
A feasibility study carried out in 2011, indicated that 75% of the people in the area live on less than one euro per day. The staple food is plantain which grows in abundance in the area but is under threat of bacterial wilt. Cash crops are on the increase, like coffee, groundnuts and cabbage. There was a high migration of people from the south, near the Rwandan border, bringing in different ethnic groups. Islamic and Christian faiths are followed in the region.
The uphill areas have been facing a dropping water table, which lead to the depletion of water sources. Shallow wells and springs had to be abandoned and people had to walk further down the hill to fetch water from water sources in or near the wetland. This is not a desirable situation, since time spent on fetching water has increased and the ecosystem of the wetland has been decreasing. In the area there has been some accidental success in reviving springs by diverting and capturing runoff when a small elevated dirt road was built. Building upon this example, a variety of techniques to recharge the groundwater table and revive the springs will be tested in this project.
===Location and partners===
[[Image:Rwenzori mountains.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Rwenzori Mountain range is in Western Uganda. Map credit: [http://www.ccentre.wa.gov.au/ForSchools/CHOGM/WhobelongstotheCommonwealth/Pages/Uganda.aspx ccentre.wa.gov.au]]]
* '''Role and responsibility of main partner:''' JESE proposed the intervention area, worked with [http://www.rainfoundation.org/ RAIN] and Wetlands International and URWA on the program development and is the sole implementer of the project.
* '''Other partners:''' [http://www.wetlands.org/ Wetlands International] and [http://www.gharainwaterugandarainwater.org/urwa_contacts.html Uganda Rain Water Association (URWA)]
* '''Role and responsibilities of other partners:''' Technical advice, program advice, and capacity building.
===Description===
The recharge will act to stabilize the groundwater table and hopefully the groundwater will be released slowly through the revival of springs. Part of this program is to compensate people who had to abandon cultivation in the wetland area. Water is to be used for drinking but also for yam production, and irrigation.
====Spring revival====
# Uphill from another dried spring where there is not such a clear valley, two infiltration pits are dug through a thick layer of clay soil to reach the subsoil. Runoff from the slope is guided into these pits to recharge the groundwater.
# Uphill from a dried shallow borehole we combine terracing (FanyaJuu), road runoff infiltration pits, and ponds to restore the water level around the borehole.
# Finally, a shallow well will be constructed and combined with recharge measures close to the well in a grazing area. Since this is pasture land, two small earth bunds with a flatter surface and gentle slopes will replace the the usual terraces. This will allow grazing of animals to continue, but still provide infiltration of surface runoff close to the spring. The spring will be turned into a shallow well for multiple use, such as for cattle.
====Objectives====
* Rwensigire trading center borehole: increase recharge on the uphill of the borehole, look at the potential for infiltration pits/ponds. Improve agricultural land (with fanya juus). Desilt pump after recharge.
* Kichwaba Spring spring improvement: construct storage tanks to tap water from the spring and supply to neighbouring communities.
* Capacity building in 3Rs for the community and district local government officials.
====SWOT analysis====
