Lake Victoria Basin Commission Water & Sanitation Initiative – Investment plan for 15 centers.

The rapidly growing secondary towns in Lake Victoria Basin play an increasingly important role in the economic development of the region. Nevertheless, this unplanned and spontaneous growth poses a serious threat to the sustainability of these towns and jeopardise the fragile ecosystem of Lake Victoria.
These secondary towns within the basin represent roughly 300 settlements, ranging in size from 5,000 to over 50,000 people. The most vulnerable and poor populations living in the urban and peri-urban areas are the most affected by the water and sanitation problems, as they remain outside the reach of municipal services.

This project was an expansion of the LVWATSAN Phase I, which was implemented through cooperative agreements between UN-Habitat and 3 member states of the East African Community (EAC), namely Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Originally the Water and Sanitation Initiative (WSI) focused on 10 towns in the Lake Victoria Basin. The current project expanded these activities to 3 towns in each of the 5 EAC member states, for a total of 15 additional urban centres.

The project aimed to identify short- and long-term needs of the selected 15 high priority secondary towns in Lake Victoria Basin in terms of water supply and sanitation services, but also taking into consideration the ecological demands of the lake and its tributaries. Subsequently, integrated packages of short and long-term interventions were prepared, including water supply, sanitation improvements, solid waste management, drainage improvements in key areas, as well as capacity building and training. The project also provided short- and long-term investment solutions for financing, with the collaboration of regional Governments and external support agencies