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Integrated water resources management in Eastern Africa: coping with ‘complex’ hydrology

Extreme and unpredictable rainfall patterns, intense floods, and droughts add significantly to the cost of controlling and managing water resources in Eastern Africa. This paper describes the approaches being taken in selected countries and how each country has interpreted the IWRM principles to address water resource management challenges. IWRM, introduced almost 20 years ago in Eastern Africa, is still a ‘work in progress’. The main challenges involve a need to build professional, technical, and institutional capacity.