The Mara River Basin (MRB) is an international river basin between
the bordering countries of Kenya and Tanzania in Eastern Africa. This study looks
at several consumptive water-use factors that exist within the basin, as well as
established environmental flow requirements, and quantifies the amount of water
demanded. Subsequently, this quantity is compared to existing records of water
availability for the dry season months of December through March. Hydrologic
records, site interviews, population census data, and spatial datasets were used in
combination with a geographic information system to determine water demand.
Results show that the total current water demand within the basin does not appear
to exceed water supply during periods of maintenance or average flow. However,
current water requirements do exceed supply during periods of low flow for each of
the dry season months, posing a serious threat to water resources within the MRB.