| This thesis provides an overview of the water crisis currently afflicting East Africa and concurrently presents good practices and provides policy recommendations intended to mitigate the effects of hydrological change upon populations in the region. This paper focuses on six countries within East Africa---Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and Ethiopia---due to demographic, topographical, hydrological and historical congruencies. It consists of three main sections. First, it reviews the state of water resources in East Africa, elucidating the various environmental, political and economic factors that induce, or exacerbate, water stress. Then, it analyzes the effects of water paucity on the social fabric, highlighting the water-poverty nexus while also considering the gender and health dimensions of water scarcity. Finally, it suggests specific actions that can be taken to cope with the lack of water resources. |
