Rwanda Integrated Water Security Program

The Rwanda Integrated Water Security Program (RIWSP) seeks to improve the sustainable management of water quantity and quality to positively impact human health, food security, and resiliency to climate change for vulnerable populations in targeted catchments in Rwanda. As a sub-program under the Global Water for Sustainability Program (GLOWS) consortium, RIWSP is supported by a grant from USAID to Florida International University.

The conceptual approach guiding RIWSP involves a coordinated set of activities nested at multiple spatial scales, particularly at the community and central government levels. At the community level, through implementing practical and innovative technical activities, they aim to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable rural populations, while building capacities at the local level to ensure the long-term benefits of these activities. At the district and national levels, they will contribute to institutional strengthening through capacity building of human resources and support to the development and implementation of national policies and strategies related to the three sector areas (water, food security, and adaptation to climate change) addressed by RIWSP.

The initial stage of the program will include a preliminary assessment and scoping activities after which the project implementation sites will be defined. Two to four watersheds will be selected in total. These will be sub-catchments of the Akanyaru (south) and Akagera (east) basins and are to represent the realities and challenges across the water resources, WASH, food security, and climate change related sectors. The activities proposed for the RIWSP Program will engage stakeholders at multiple levels, build capacity, and transfer knowledge. A significant proportion of the effort will be invested to effectively implement and integrate a wide range of low-cost and innovative technologies for water supply, sanitation, and agriculture, with a strong focus on the behavioral change at the community level, needed to ensure real and sustainable transformations in the country. The program aims to create an enabling environment as a means to promote long-term improvements in water and sanitation service delivery and capacity to adapt to climate changes.

ICIWaRM joins several partners in the RIWSP, including the aforementioned FIU and USAID, UNESCO-IHE, Winrock International, CARE, and World Vision Rwanda. Our primary responsibility within the RIWSP is the development of a Regional Frequency Analysis / Drought Atlas tool that will be used to estimate the duration, frequency, and intensity of drought and other hydrometeorological events. Additionally, through ICIWaRM, the USGS will be involved in the installation of several steamgauging stations to provide data and information for the rest of the project.

For more information, please contact the GLOWS program.

For more information on ICIWaRM Drought Atlas development, click here.