Upstream Dams on the Mara River

A recent article in the news tells about the Itare Dam, a foreign direct investment dam planned in the Mau Forest that will impact the headwaters of the Mara River. The article claims that the government did not conduct a prior consultation with the residents of the area and that water is in danger of diversion from 12 rivers that originate in the area. The article also points out that this diversion threatens the ecosystems and economic basis of tourism currently afforded in the Maasai Mara. As Serengeti is just across the political border, this dam has significant implications for the SELVA project area as well.

The Itare Dam is a good example of how upstream actions can have downstream implications. As the water security challenges in the Mara River Basin are intertwined across borders and ecosystems, upstream decisions like large dam construction require careful transboundary consideration. SELVA's mission is to understand these complexities and support efforts to effectively manage freshwater in the lower Mara Basin.