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Expected Environmental Changes below the Mtera Reservoir

Technical Report · September 1978

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32770.73926

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 TA E tco

TANZANIA ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED

GREAT RIJAHA POWER PROJECT

TANZANIA

EXPECTED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANCES

BELOW THE MTERA RESERVOIR

sllnrco
rffisH Coari rlE ctolt

CONST]I-TINC ENCINEERS ARCHITECTS AND ECONOMISTS MEMBERS OF THE SWEDISH

ASS(l{IATION OF CONSUT,TINC ENCINEERS (SKIF)
ftor S t024t Sr€kholmSWEDEN Tclcphonc: 22t5tO
{0118 Cobtcs: GROUpCONStJI_T St(khotm
P O Bor 9153. Dar cr Salum 25 ly2 SWECO, Dar cs SalMm

T.lcx l75YI SwF:CO S

4t029 SWECO DSM.

D. Johansson & L. Striimquist

l

CONTENTS Page

1 PREFACE 1

2 THE CATCHMENT AREA 3

Geology and geomorphology 3

2 Climate 6

3 Vegetation 10

4 Land use and soil erosion IJ

? THE GPGAT RUAHA RIVER BETWEEN

MTERA AND KIDATU i5
1 Hydroloqy and sediment trans port 15

2 The river secti-ons 19

4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 23

1
Impact on the riverine env ironment LJ

1
Evgrslesy 23
2 §cSrs'el!-!relgpsr! 24
3 !etgr!gdire]-prg§rle.- sbs!!eI
pc!!er!- crg- riyer -betEe 24

2 Irnpact on water-related disease vectors 32

3 tepqc! qlr 4q4 33

4 I act on witdlife 34

tr
J SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 36

6 REFERENCES 39

7 APPENDICES
PR.EFACE

On behalf of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company

Limited (TANESCO) a hydro-electric power plant has
been construct-ed on the Great Ruaha Rirrer at Kidatu.
The plant has a capacity of 2 x 50 MW and commenced
operation in 1975.

The volume of the reservoir at Kidatu is, however,

rather small and for this reason a main storage ctam
is planned for construction at Mtera, situated 115 km
upstream of the Kidatu reservoir.

The capacity of the power plant at Kidatu is then Lo

be increased by 2 x 50 MW, thus bringinq the fj-nal
capacity up to a maximum of 200 MW (SWECO/TANESCO
197 5) .

At- Mtera, the dam across the Great Ruaha Rlver is to

be const.ructed about 6 km downstream of t.he Mtera
bridge. The dam wiil i:e completed in l-ate 1980. At
full supply 1evel, the Mtera reservoir will be
approximately 630 km2 in area. Because of the ftat-
ness of the terrain, the reservoir will be ralher
shallow and large areas around the reservo-ir will be
affected by the annual variations in the water level.

Several aspects of the envircnmentai impact of tlie

reservoir have previously been presented (Sweco
191 6 , 19J7 a, b) .

This report deals with the impact of the damming at

Mtera and the regulation of the discharge on the
river section between the Mtera dam site and the
Kidatu reservoir (Fig. 1.).
 2

TO
DOOOMA

MTERA
RESEHVOIR
THE SURVEYED
SECTION OF THE RIVER

KISIGO
GNEAT
HUAHA
G.F. t N IVER
MTERA
DAM

MBUYUNI
KIDIKA
GREAT

ROAD
MAHENG

a
KIDAT
TANZAM HIGHWAY RESERVOIH
tfr

o 50km

rig. i The surveyed section of the Great Ruaha River is

approximately 175 km in length. There is only
one road across the river between the Mtera dam
and the Kidatu reservoir. The only major settle-
ments on the river are Xidika/t"lbuyuni.
,

2 THE CATCHMENT AREA

2.1 Geoloqy and geomorphology

The Great Ruaha drainage area l:retween the Mtera dam-
site and the Kidatu reservoir comprises about 12,0A0 km
of rugged, tectonicalJ-y broken high relief terrain
situated between the majn Rift Valley in the west and
the Kilombero fault escarprnenL in the south-east.

The precambrian bedrock geolcgy is influenced i:y the

position of the area to the south-east of the junction
between the Granitoi-d shield at Dodorna and the Base*
ment complex, as well as by its position close t.o the
Rift Valley.

Hence, the most corflmon rock Lypes in the areä are

various migmati-tes and igneous rocks like porphyro-
blastrc migmatite, biotite gneiss and dolerites.

The bedrock influence on t.hre general geomorphoiogy

is limited to the precambrian trends, which in the
western part are orj-entated in a south-west7'north-
east direction veerinE to an east-west direction
towards the east" Of the most striking examples of
the pr:ecambrian influence on structural morphoiogy
can ire mentj-oned the quarzite ranges at Ngenqere-
gengere Gorge and the alignment of the Great Ruaha
River downstream of Kidika (Mbuyuni).

The basi-c structuralfraniework which forms the founda-

tion for the diverse characteristics of the catchment
area is, however, not associated with the bedrock
qeology but with the tectonical- impact of regionai
deformation linked with the formation of the main
Rif,t Valley. A map of the drainage pattern clearly
shows the effects of this very cornplex (and geologi-
calIy speaking recent) evolutj_on of the landscape.

t
l
4

The drainaqe pattern was to a large extent changed by

Neogene fault movements and crustal wrapping. This
is illustrated by the Great Ruaha, which has cut its
way through several gorge sections and by examples of
reversed drainage.

Probably the most recent change in the drainage pat-

tern is the Pleistocene ::iver capture through a
drainage divide at the Ngengeregengere Gorge forming
the present Great Ruaha River.

The morphology resulting from the above mentioned

events can be summarized as a landscape dominated b1r
steep-sided tectonical mountains and hi.l-ls, causing
rapid surface run-off and a potentially high risk of
soil erosion. (fig. 2.). An estimate of the relative
relief within the northern part of the catchment
area sfiows an average between 300 65C metres and
slopes, Lhe upper parts of which are inclined about
30 - 350.

Another characteristj-c feature of this landscape is

tire structural drainage paltern, witir deep-cut gorqe§ ,
and extremely steep .J-ongitudinal river profiles wit.h
several rapids. Excluding the uppermost tributaries
of the river systern, the area between Mtera and
Kidatu has the steepest hypsographic curve within |he
Rufiji drainage system, causing rapid through trans-
port of rj-ver sediments.
J
5

LEQEND

-:=:--: Tanzam Highway

jjljli Limit ol cåtchment atea

----- -- All-weather road

l!!!- _ anitude ol contour
lrne {Feet)
Seciion no. ol the G.est

( +-+. Ruaha Biver

RUBEHO
Ir MTS erosion

MIKUM;X
//
//

0
MTS
4
-OODOMA MTS
cl
MTEHA POWER
6 PLANT
§
IGUNDA KIDIKA
0

« JI

MTANDIKA

-o o LUHOBERO MTS

IRINGA 7
PLATEAU

25krn

Fig. 2 Topographical map of the northern part of the catch-

ment area showing the main areas affected by severe
soil erosion and the river sections used as a base
for the studies of the environmental impact on the
ri-verine environment.
 6

2.2 Climate

l This part of the Great Ruaha catchmenL area is

situated to the east of the semi-ari-d belt which
runs from north to south through the central portion
of Tanzania, forrning a transitlonal zone from the
dry area to areas with a wetter climate.

At present, only a 1j-mited number of meteorologicaJ-

stations within the ärea have continuous records of
: climatological data, which in conjunct.i-on with the
I

large area and the rugged terrain, provides only a

scanty account of the climatological variation in
the region. (rig. 3. ) .

Sumrnarizing the data avaiiai:Ie from the E.A l,{eteoro-

logical Department and that obtained by the previous
FAO Rufiji Basin Survey, a generai regional c i imatic
pattern can be established wit.hin the area:

Rainfall, which is concentrated to a rainy season,

increases towards the south-east with a pronounced
regional maximum along the south-eastern watershed
of the Lukosi River and within the Yovi sub-catch-
ment area.

The yearly rainfall pattern, as illustrated in

Fig. 4, is altered as the dry season hecomes
shorter towards the south and east.

The specific run-off, estimated from the FAO

figures (1960) provides a good illustration of
the pronounced regional differences within the
main sub-catchment areas (cf. Table 1 ) and is
most important for an understanding of the hydro-
logical reglme of the rivers (cf. 3.1).

tl

J
Table 1 Specific run-off from the Great Ruaha Catchment area
between Mtera and Kidatu

Area (s) Specific run-off Area o

6
mmr/year km2

The Great Ruaha and

the northern sub-
catchments (upstreanr
of Kidika) 50 B 377 7A

Lukosi catchment 796 2 890 24

Yovi catchment 497 733 6

12 000 100

The erosive rainfall climate of the Mtera area has been

described elsewhere (SWECO 1977 b) and as there is
no data on rainfall intensity for the present area,
only the maximum rainfaLL/24 hours can be illustrated
for three of the stations (Fig" 4.). Within this
area, condit.ions similar to the Mtera area can be
found around the Rudi meteorological station, which
has a simil-ar rainfall pattern with high rainfall
intensities at beginning of the wet seasor).

The seasonal occurrence of erosive ralns is, however,

likely to be very important throughout the area be-
cause of the wet and dry periods. ff heavy storms
occur at the beginning of the wet season, when the
plant cover is poor, the rainfall will lead to con-
siderable run-off and soil erosion.
 I

THE GREAT RUAHA CATCHMENT AREA BETWEEN

fri MTERA AND KIDATU
36" 37

7 7"
:
I
t
I
I
I
MTERA I
RESERVOI I
Y
MTERA
\
\ \
MALOLO
I
\ t
57 \

\ I

I
,
I I
, VIMAGE I
VltRole I
I I
I
o IRINGA
I
I

80 I

Limit of Main
Subcatchment Areas
Biver with Gauging Station
V Rainfall Gauging Station

o 5O km

36' 37'

Fig.3 The meteorological and hydrological neLwork within

the Great Ruaha catchment area between Mtera and
Kidatu. The map also shows the main sub-catchment
areas of the Lukosi and Yovj- rj-vers draining the
wetter parts of the area.
 9

97.3511 MTEHA 97.3502 TROLE

196r- 1976 1949 - 1970
YEARi 455.9 YEAR:6O7.9

100 100

97.3606 MALOLO 97"3612 IMAGE

1961 - 1969 1971 -1975
YEAR : 5O2.3 YEAR:577.1
100 100

MAX. RAINFALL
INTENSITY ( 24 hrs)

o 100 155mm
hflTERA DEC. 1962
iHOLE FEB. 1973
IMAGE ffi MAY 1974

Fis. 4 The rainfall at four meteoroloqical. slat-ions

(c f . Fig . 1 ) wi tliin t,he catchment area . The
dry season becomes shorler towards tl-re east and
south-east-. However, the yeariy variation is
hicrh throuc;1-rout- the c.rtchmenL ar ea.
 10

2.3 Vegetat.ion
Based on a br:1ef vegetation mapping from LANDSAT-1
satellite images (eand 5), the plant cover of the
catchment area may be divided into three broad
phys j-ognomic types (f ig. 5 . ) :

(1) Open bushland and farml-and

(2) Bushland and woodland
(3) Mountain rain forest

(1 ) Open bushlands and farmlands are mainly l_ocated

in the river valleys within the areas of low
specific run-off (2.2). The open bushland with
its shrubby trees or bushes is mr:stly a resul-t
elther of repeated bush-clearings and/ar of
heavy grazing by domestj_c animals. This veqeta-
tional type j_s particularly common in the
Mtindiri and Mbungu sub-catchments and on the
Mtandj-ka plain.

On the more elevated parts of the latter, the

brushland seems to be a resul-t of overgrazing
and not of cultivation of the tand. By and
large, the open bushl-ands exhlbit the same
structure and species composition as the bush_
land with mixed acacias which occurs in the
Mtera basln and which has previously been de_
scribed (SWECO 1976).

The most extensive cultivated area is situated

on the Iringa plateau.

(2) Bushland and woodland of varying densit.y are the

most common vegetational types. They mainly
occur on the slopes of hil-ls and mountains as
well as in the mountains proper.
 11

The Brachysteqia woodland represents the cl-imatic

climax vegetat.ion on higher altitudes j-n the
mountains. At lower altitudes it is replaced
by Terminalia and Combretum woodlands. However,
in certain areas the woodlands have been severely
deEraded and have entirely disappeared by being
repeatedly burnt. In the worst affected areas
"man-made" (edaphic) grasslands now occur in
habitats which would normally hotd woodlands ol:
forest. F'or instance, extensive grasslands of
this type are common in the Mgwira (Guami),
Gologolo, Lubwe, Msanga and Mgongwe Mts. At.
lower altitudes, the degraded woodland often
develops into bushland.

(3 ) The tall, dense, rnountai-n rain f orest, which has

previousl-y had a mr.lch wider distribution in the
highest sections of the terrain, survives today
in a number of protected forest reserves, e.g.
West Kilombero Scarp Forest Reserve, Imoye Forest
R.eserve, Mangalisa Forest Reserve and Ukwj.va
Forest Reserve. Minor parts of the Mafwemiro
Forest Reserve (Sagara Mts) and Wotta Forest
Reserve also fall within the northernmost parls
of the catchment area. The mountain rain forest
j-s dense and luxuriant and is of vital importance
for the retarding effect of the discharge and for
it.s protectj-ve effect on soil erosion. However,
since the specles of tree in the rain forest are
seldom fire resistant, the reqular fires in the
edaphic grasslands and woodlands effectively
prevent any colonization by rain forest tree
species.

The riparlan vegetation has been omitted from the

vegetation map in Fig. 5. The reason for this is
that, although prominent on the river banks in
certain sections of the main river, mainly from
Luhomero to Kidika, the total area of this
vegetational type j-s very small. It is, however, o
importance in stabilizing the steep river banks.
L
 tz

s;
()
el

/\T tr Open bushland and cultivated areas

tl /^,/,Y 6-,-i
d l o0 c) (:
U
blJ
(:t

/1
$, ffi Dense mountain rainloae$t

cr' Border ol forost reserves

,t Limit ol catchment

af?,
:,
+
*

a
a!
(1,
.3 t)
KIDIKA
fj;
c )t .) ä lr +
MIERA (i
DAU
t1 c)
f]
» .:, i a,
afJ
fJ
§ )
(r, §.,
* al (,) 5
(t
Lr'8
o U r?'.r t*i ri
!1 §3 r5 ^ ctr.
Y
Ll rl +
t, t13.' f,"r
(r
^*.r s r)
t3 r9 km
,f
)
't a: ra
* ö a)
'k fl

rig. 5 Vegetation map of the northern part of the catch*

ment area based on LANDSAT satellite images (cf.
Fig. 2.). Note the forest reserves within the
high relief sub-catchment areas, vJhich are respon-
sible for maintaining permanent stream flow to thre
Great Ruaha.

Forest reserves: 1. Mafomwero, 2. Ukwiva,

3. Mangalisa, 4. Imoye, 5. West Kilombero scarp.
 IJ

2.4 Land use and soil erosion

CultivaLion
Cultivated areas are common in the upper reaches of
the Mtindiri River valley and near Rudi, with maize
and millet as the most common crops.

The most extensive areas under cultivation are located

on the Iringa plateau (the Mbuyu River catchment) ,
where maize, tobacco and sunflower (seeds) are the
most important crops.

The Itemera River valley, whi-ch drains the eastern

slopes of the lmage Mts. , is also an area with inten*
sive cultivation of maize and ml11et. Cultivated
areas are also common near the Mahenge Wahenge plain
and along the Lukosi River, where onion is an impor-
tant cash crop (for example at Mtandika and Kidika).
On the northern side of the Great Ruaha River, there
are cultivated areas on the pediments of the Mqongwe
Mts. and in the Mwega River val1ey.

The Yovi River valley is a major area of cultivation

in the eastern part of the catchment area, where
maj-ze and bananas are of particular importance.

Rangeland
The major grazing areas are located in the Mtindiri
and Mbungu sub-catchments and on the Mtandika plain
I in open bushland. Signs of overgrazing are common
in all these areas. Grazing seems to be of little
importance in the mountain parts of the catchnient.
Hence the most eroded parts of the catchment area
(Eig. 2) lie within the northern and western parts
of the area.
 14

Generally speaking, the greater part of t.he iand is,

for various reasons, not used for cultivation or as
rangeland. Considerable areas of the high mountains
are also protected as forest reserves. The mountain
areas in the northern part and the ones in the south-
eastern parts of the catchment are furthermore sparse-
J-y populated.
 i5

3 THE GREAT RUAHA RIVER BETWEEN MTERA AND KIDATU

3.1 Hydrglqgy and sedlme$_;[lqnspgr!

St.udies of the hydrology and sediment Lransport have
previously been made within the Rufiji basin i.e.
by the FAO Rufiji Basin Survey (1960) and by Temple
l and Sundborg (1973) , as well as fo:: tlie present part-
of the river (SWECO 1975) and for t-he rivers feedinE
the Mt-era reservoir (SWECO 1977 b)"

The present description also analyzes the mor e recent

discharge f i_qures as well as Lhose for Lhe most im-
portant tributaries enLering the Great Ruaha down-
stream from Mtera.

This part of the river can, in terms of hydrology and

discharge, be divideC rnto Lwo main secLions down*
stream of the Mtera damsite. The upperinost section,
from Mt*era to Mbuyuni/Kidika, has the same discharge
patt.ern as the rivers enteri-ng Lhe Great Ruaha which
have a similar reEime or which are intermj-ttent be-
cause of the climatic conditions (Fiq. 6 d, 'lable i ) .

A study of the G::eat Ruaha hydrog'raphs at Mtera

(1KA 5) for successive hydrological years from i956
t.o 1976 gives a reasonably good indication of the
trvorological regime in spite of the Ereat yearly
variations .

The characteristics of the hydrog::aph can i:e summa-

rized thus:

1 The initial part of the run-off period is made up

of f lash f loods, which occur mosL corLrronly in
january but sometimes in the middle of Decernber.
These flash floods of varying frequency of
occurrence during the year are superimposecl on
a steadily-rising base flow.
 16

2 The recession period, which usually starts in

late April, is characterized by contlnuous loss
of water until the beginning of the next hydro-
logical year. The lack of rainfall during this
period eliminates the flash floods which
characterize the flood period.

3 Maximum discharge occurs between March and April,

and the minimr"rm -in late October-November.
;
The lower section, from Mbuyuni/Kidika to Kidatu, is
largely influenced by the regimes of the permanent
Lukosi and Yovi Rivers, draining the wetter parts of
the catchment area, wh.ich, durinq the end of the dry
season, are responsih:le for most of the discharge at
Kidatu (Fiq. 6.). Hence, the dry season Lraseflow in
this section of the river is about four times as
large as that in the upper part (cf . 2"2, Tabrle 1)"

Due Lr] the t.opographical evolution of the landscape

(cf . 2.1 and 3.2) , the river between Mtera and the
Kidatu reservoir is characterized by a steep profile
with se',zera1 gorges, rapi-ds and subsequent braided
river sections "

The channel pattern can be divided into two main types

gorges with rapids and straight or braided alluival
sections. The former pattern indicates areas of
active transport, which means that all the material
transported through the sections is discharged
furt-her downstream.

An investigation of the sediments on the river boLtom

was made within the last gorEe section upstream of
t-he Kidatu reservoir during the 1977 dry season
{Appendix 1). The grain size distrihution and scr:t-
ing coefficlent also indicates active thr.ough trans-
port of sediments during hiqh discharge periods.

I
W

E-
 11

The braided sections lie within more open terrain

downstream of the varlous gorge sectj-ons.

l The braided pattern is at bankfull discharge covered

by water forming a more "meanderinE" river pattern.
This type of channel pattern is typicat for low to
moderate gradient rirzers with a large transport of
sandy to silty sediments.

Since the periods of high discharge events are im*

portant for the formatj-on of the river channel as
J well as for the transport of sedirnents, a flow dura-
lion curve has been calculated for ldtera, whlch is
the only sedj-ment sampj-inq station upstream of Kidatu.
The curve is based on the daily dischargie figures
from the period 1956-1976. It should be observed
that t.he extreme floods only cover 3-4 ? of the
total time, with the mean maximum discharEe equalled
for akiout 10 I of, the time.

The yearly sediment transport at Mtera, as estimated

bir SWECO 1971 b is , on aver:age, about 4.14 miltion
tons suspended road, to which should be added the
bed's load, forming a total- average transport of
abcrut 6"2 million tons/year.
 1B

% NATURAL DISCHARGE AS %
100 OF TI,IE NATURAL
DI§CHARGE AT KIDATU

so

\ I
a

r--1-r-rd

o
NDJFMAMJ J ASO
HYDROLOGICAL YEAR

GAEAT ffiUAI.IA AT MTERA .5§nr

LUKOSI AT MTANDIKA I-I-t

YO\Ii AT CONFLUENCE

MWEGA AT MALOLO

Fig.6 The unregul-ated river discharge as a percentage of

the natural di-scha::ge of the Great Ruaha at. Kidatu.
Note the importance of the trj_but.aries draining the
wetLer parts of the drainage basin (the Lukosi and
Yovi river) for maintaining a high dry season base_
flow to the Kidatu reservoir. The suggested regula_
tion programme will hence increase the dry season
discharge to a larger extent withi-n the uppermost
sections of the Great Ruaha.
 19

3.2 The r ver sections

The river between Mtera and Kidatu is divided into
9 different sections, each representing a certain
combination of the fluvial processes, their related
land forms and features of the structural morphology
of the area in question.

This subdivision serves as a basis for the discussion

on the possible irnpact on the river morphology after
regulating the Great Ruaha River.

The prelimi-nary division was made by inierpretation

of aerj-al photos on an approximarue scale of 1:33 000
and of LANDSAT*I satellite 1-mages enlarged to a
working scale of 12250 C00 " f n the l-atter study,
band 5 was used for much of the landscape eval-uation,
while band 7 was used fcr a study of the drainage
conditions and of the extent of flood plains along
the ::iver.

Due to geological evoir"rtion (cf . 2" , the overall

1)
clrainage pattern is structur:al, while the different.
sect-icns mcst-l-y criffer in terms of gradient and
channel pattern.

A very brief descrlption of the varir:us sections is

given in Table 2 and their extent is shown in Fig. 2.

A series of maps showing the riverine enrzironment

between Mtera and Kidatu reservoir is presented in
Appendices 2-11.

As mentioned prevj-ous11z (3.1), the channel pattern

can basically be divided j-nto t-wo main types, each
representing a different transport pattern. The
gorge sections (Nos 1 , 5, 9) are characlerized by
several- rapids over bed rock as well as by bed-rock
shorelines. At hiqh discharge capacity (during peak
 2C

flood periods ) , the sections have a very high water

level compared with that of the dry season, and
considerable transport of sediments " Then in the
dry season Iarge dunes of sand characterLze the
river bottoms between the various series of rapids.
At the mlnor tributaries, small aliu',"'ial fans,
formi-ng a temporary deposit of coarser sediments,
are common.

I Tlre gorges , 5, 9) show the largest variations in

(1
water level between flood and low discharge periods,
hence the 1ow discharge flow is usually confined t.o
a narrow, often canyonlike zone in the middle of the
T river, leavj-ng remnants of the sand dunes on the
valley sides, remnants that. will be washed away
t during the next high discharge period.

The other maln channel type is alluvial channel with

a st"raight or braided paLlern, which can be divided
int-o sections with a narrow f lood-plain (2, 3, 4, 7)
or wi-th a wide f iood-plain {6, B). The shore}ines
of the firsL type consist either of rj-ver sedimenls
or of colluvial (slope) deposits, while the latter
Lype has shores of river sediments only.

At bankfull discharqe, the alluvial channels show a

tendency Lo an ever-changing river pattern due to
erosion and sedimentation processes, which, in con-
junction with the high discharge flooding, form a
flood-plain along the river. The flood-plain con-
sists of river sediments which are easily eroded and
transported away during the natural changes of the
river discharge. The colluvial shorel-ines are, on
the other hand, less sensitive to rapid changes in
the stream course, due to the distribution of grain
size and to the cohesive soils.
T

I
Å
 21

Tn low discharge periods, the water is spread in a

wide braided pattern with many shallow channels over
the sandy river bottom. As the channels are wide,
the variations in water level between the high and
I 1ow discharge periods are less pronounced compared
with those of the gorge sect.ions.

I
 22

Table 2 Morphological river sections between

Mtera and Kidatu

d Section Drainage pattern Channel pattern Nctes

No.

1 Structural Gorge Bedrock shoreiines.

No flood-plarn.
Some al-luvial fans
at tributaries.
increased erosion
expecLed.
2 Structural Alluvial/braided Shorelines of rirrer
sediments , col- Iuvium
and bedrock. Flood-
uxqrtl
-,!ri-, ,

Increased erosion
expected.
3 Structural Alluvial-/braided Cf. section 2
and straight
4 Structural Alluvial/braided As Nos 2 e,nd 3 but
wrt.h an extremely
narrow flood-plain "
5 Structural Gorge Bedrock shorelines "
No flood-plain.
6 Partly free in Alluvial/braided Siioreiines of ::ive::
natural sediments. The
sedimentation widest flood-piain
Lrasin section within the
catchment area.
Environmental chanqes
expected.
7 Structural Alluvial,/braided Sho::elines of rj-ver
sediments colluvium
and bedrock. Narrow
f lood-plain. Ilinor
changes expected.
I Structural 1uvia1/braided Shorelines of river
Al-
and straight sedimenls. Wider
flood-plain than in
section 7.
9 Structural- Gorge Shorelines of bedrock
I and colluvium. Up-
stream of Kidai also
of river sediments.

[il
 23

4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

L 4.1 Impact on the rj-verj-ne environment

L 4.1.1 !v§relegv
As has been previously shown (3.1), the natural
lo ical re ime of the Great Ruaha i-s influenced
both by initial flash floods caused by the small
tributaries with a rapid r:un-off response to rainfall
and by a steadily rising discharge reachinq a maximum
at the end of the wet season (Pebruary*March).

Based on the estimated need of a discharge of at

least 84 m'/s after completion of the second stage
at the Kidatu power plant (SWECO 1975) , the possible
regime within the uppermost section from lttera to
Kidika will be characterized by a successively lower-
ed dischargie during the rainy season as r-he water cle*
mand at Kidatu will to a large extent then be covered
b,y the run-off from the drainage area and from the
Lukosi and Yovi tributari-es.

The irnpact of the tributary flash-fl-oods on the main

rj-ver discharge remains, however, but now during a
period of falling mean oischarge from the Mtera re*
servoir. This is very i-mportant f or the sediment
transport capacity of the river.

The section downstream of the Lukosi confluence has

a higher dry-season base flow and will thus be sub-
ject to the least variation in f 1ood water level
during the rainy season due to the lmpact of the
uncontrol-led Lukosi and Yovi Rivers.

$l

$'il
 24

4.1.2 Se !-!Ie!gppl! will beinfluenced by the change

in the water regime as the probable mean discharge
in ttre uppermost section of the river will be about
40 70 m'/s, which is much Iower than the high dis-
charge peak floods with an extremely high transPort
capacity (Fig. 1).

Assuming that similar sediment coricentration during

a
the rainy season wil] be maintained in the main river,
due to the sediment input from the seasonal tributary
streams, the total suspended sediment transport (cal-
culated from equations 1 & 2, SWECO 1977) will be re-
duced to about 30 558 of the previous mean transport,
if important peak floods are excluded.

This discussion 1s valid only for the suspended load

of the upstream reaches of the T,ukosi conf luence.

4.1.3 !9!s itudinal Pre§iler-gbellel ttern and r:iver bc nks

The tongitudinaf profile and the channel pattern may
also be changed due to the altered regime. Erosion
wiII usually occur downstream of a reserrzoir when 't-he
river deprived of its supply of coarse and medium size
sediments entrenches its channel towards a reducecl
qradient or an increased water depth. This process
may have a serious effect on downstream engineering
works such as brioges etc.

No important change in the -longitudinal profile wi1l,

however, occur in the sections downstream of the Mtera
reservoir, as the channel j-s aligned to bedrock gorges.
Increased erosion of the tributary alluvial fans and
other "pockets" of sediment is, however, expected
within the gorge sections downstream of the reservoir:.
This, in conjunction with the rich supply of coarser
sediments from the tributary streams and from the down-
stream alluvial river sections between the various
 25

Flswdurotion curve 1956 '1976

GREAT IUAHA RIVER §TATION IKA5 MTERA

Dirchorgc
(q) m3/rcc.

n 3000

2 000 -\

tr \

r
a\
r oo0
\
\. M.on mox dischorge
\
500 \

f 200
\

100

.\
50
I

20
\
lo
\
5

\
I

ooo 9 (, oqool.)(J§ o
\lO\O
ooo
9-i.>
(r
(n

Percentoge of Time Dischorge

Equolled or Exceeded (probobility scole)
 26

local base levels of erosion will reduce the effect

of this erosion before the river enters any parts
where damage to man-made structures may occur-

The gorqe sections (5, 9), through which all sediments

are at present transported (cf. 3-1, 3-2), will have
a discharge pattern simj-lar to the present recession
stages, leaving dune remnants of river sand below
the natural bankful-l discharge level (FiE- B). They
are like1y to be colonized by reeds and small shrubs
during the long intervals between the few extreme
occasions of high discharge from the Mtera reservoir,
when they are likely to be eroded away. The overall
impact within the gorge sections will be small "

Large environmental changes will occur within the

alfuvial sectlons, especially those in the NYanzwa/
Dodoma area and the one upstream of Ir{buYuni/Kidika
(Sections 6 a 8).

Detailed studies wlthin those sections (cf- channel

geometry and graj-n size distribution) and subsequent-
estimates according to Schumms' formula (1960) indi-
cate the following natural environment and future en-
vironmental changes:

Natural conditions
River gradj-ent: Moderate
Deposition: Bed deposj-tion and island formation
Erosion: Channel widenlng dominant, Iittle
bed erosion
Impact: Less widening and changes of c}'lannel .

More changes to the river bed.

H]
 27

The shores of the sections at Nyanzwa/Dodoma and up-

stream of Mbuyuni are illustrated by block diagrams
(Figs. 9 10) - A vegetation transect from the same
area is shown in Fig - 11, and a cross-section showinq
the future mean discharge level and the cross-section-
al river profile at xidika/ubuyuni are presented in
Fig. 12 .

The overall impact on the al-luvj-al sections can be

summarized as:

a. less change in channel Position

b. less channel widening
c. increased f ormati-on of braided streams
d. high water loss during the dry season due to eva-
poration from the wide and shall'ow braided sec-
tlons and also by possible infil-tration to the
ground-water zone below the river'

The possible water losses are expected to be

greatest within the Nyanzwa/Dodoma area and may
Iead to the need for a qreater dry season dis-
charge from the Mtera reservoi-r than is needeC
for the Kidatu power plant. Adjustments in any
regulation programme may therefore be based on
experience of the future dry season discharge'
e increased plant colonization on the river banks
and on the islands formed during high discharge '
1il,[

28

(/

a
6 <, z/"
\
+
+ Y ./
+
+
+
+ {
+
+
+
+
7
+ + +
+ + +
+ + + +
+ -f + +
+ + + + I
+++
+
+ + +++
\{
+ + + 'f
+ + + + +
+ + + + +
+
+
+
++++r'
+ +' + + \
+. + + + + + + -{
+ + + + + +
+ t- + + + + +
+ ++ + + + +
+++ +
+ + ++++
+ + +
+ +
+ + + + ++++
-f
++++++ + + + 2
+ + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + +
+ ++++++
+ + +
+ +++++++
+ + +
ö
+ +++++++
+ + + + +
+++ + +++++
+ + + ++++++
+ +
++ ff
++
+ + + +
+++ + +++++
+ + ++ +++++
+ + + ++++
+ +++
+ + +
+ ++ + +++++ + + + ++ +++
+++ + +++++
+ + + + + + + + +++
+++++ + + + + +++ +++

l-ig. I Block diagram illustrating the riverj-ne environment

of the upper-most gorge section downstream from the
Mtera reservoir. The dry season base-flow (1) is
confined to a tectonic fissure zone in the bottom of
the gorge while the bankfull discharge peak flood
Ievel (2) is marked on the steep valley sides by
traces of river sand and by the l-ack of tree vegeta-
tion "

Remnants of dunes (3) of sand tr:ansported b,y bottom

transport during peak floods are common features as
well as erosion pavements (4) downstream of high dis-
I charge rapids.
There is no riparian forest in this section. The
shore vegetatj-on (5) is the same open Commiphora
bushland which covers the hiilsides of the gorge.
,n
29

nf
f
f
f /i\.

rl
(

m I
0
o ö
()
oc
§
oo o.
o
(o'
ö t
o
,6o c', o
c '\) " o a
I
,t -

Fig. 9 Block diagram illustrating a shoreline within the

Nyanzwa-Dodoma flood-plain section of the river.
The river bluffs are cut in the fine grained river
sediments of the flood-plain (1) while the river
bottom (2) consists of coarser sands. The "normal,'
water*leve1 of the recession period is probably
marked by the Mimosa pi-gra bushes (3) while the
higher bluff (4) covered with pluchea dj_scordis
bushes may be assoclated with the channeJ--forming
high dlscharge periods.

The edge of the flood-pIain (5) holds dense stands

of large Cordia sinensis bushes.

')
 30

II
J/*
/{
\ ) \\
I ) \ \
-v q r*
§i
$#
ll
t'/
1l
I l/ /

Fig. i0 Block diagram of a shoreline oeveJ-oped in cohesj-ve

colluvial soils (i ) upstream of Ir{buyuni,/Kidika.
The dry season base-flow is split into several braid-
ed channels on the sandy river bottom (2). The "nor-
ma1" water level of the recession period (3) is marked
by a zone of bushes and grass tufts (Mimosa pigra,
Panicum maximum) while the channel formin g hiqh dis-
charge level is marked by the undercutting of the
roots (4) of the riparian trees (5).

OPEN BIPARIAN
BUSHLAND FOREST

20

10

Gtcal

0 150m

rig - a1
tt Vegetatlon transect through riparian forest near
I4buyuni. The l-ocatj-on is shown in Appendix B.
Note the very sharp border between the tall trees
of the riverine environment and the surrounding bush*
Iand.
The most common trees in the riparian forest include:
Newtonia hildebrandtii, Albizia glaberrima and
Tamarindus indica (SWECO/TANESCO 1912) .
 JI

GREAT RUAIIA RIVER AT KIDIKA / MBUYUNI Cordia sinonslg

Pluchea
d iscord is

o
Col luvial

_e doeposlts

:^,.,i ,".:,
, seåson flow 1977
"'...^;," :,
,,;:')/'; i"
,",,; : i]
Hiver sediments

Fig. 12 Cross section of the Great Ruaha River at the former

gauging station 1KA 4 Mbuyuni. The followinE charac-
teristic water*1eve1s are illustrated in the section:
The mean maximum discharge (1 ) which under natural
condltions is rnost important for channel forma-
tion and channel changes.

The expected regulated stream flow (2) after the

impoundment at Mtera wiII vary around the future
mean level shown in the f igur:e. llence the future
channel changes will be negligible and a new shore-
line terrace is likej-y to de'relop below the steeper
parts of the present river bluff.

Short period regulati-on wilI, howeverr orr the con-

trary increase erosion on this part of the r:iver:
bank, causing slides and slipping of the upper
parts down into the water.
The water level of the present day dry season base*
flow ( 3 ) is shown as a comparison with the improved
water supply af ter: reqrulation.

tl
 JZ

4.2 lmpa ct on wcrLer*related disease vectors

Äfter the impoundment of the Great Ruaha river at
Mtera, changes in the hydrological- regime may influ-
ence the habitat of waLer-related disease vectors.

Various 'niches' of the river habitat are used as

breeding grounds for insects which may transmit
malaria and onchocerciasis ('river blinduess') , or
water snails, which are vectors for the bilharzia
parasite "

The construction of dams in Africa provides examples

of both positive and negative effects on the habitats
of disease vectors from the human standpoint-

Elooding of potenti-al breeding sites for disease

vectors upstream of impoundments is reported- For
instance, after the inpoundment at t.he River Nile
at Owens Fal-ls (Uganda) , this happened to simulium
fiies, which are the vectors for the filaria parasite
I which causes the river blindness disease. However,
dam spillways may create new breeding sites fo::
simulium flies, äs reported by Burton & IUacRae i965
and Raybould 1968.

As previously discussecl (4.1 ) , the hydroloqical regime

will change to a more stable flow after impoundment"
Thus, the lowest and highest discharge, as known under
natural conditions, will disappear. This means, for
instance, that flooding of ares near the river will
be less frequent in the future. This will deprive
mosquitoes and snails of potential br:eeding sites-
A, more even discharge may possibly increase the number
of suitabl-e breeding sites for simulium flies, which
favour rocks or submerqed substrata in running water,
fr:oni which the larvae strain food. However, it is
very difficul-t to assess whether the present absence
of man-biting simulium flies, äs well as of the para-
fuI ff
JJ

m
site 1-tse1f , in the Mtera regi_on is a result of lack
n of sultabl-e breedinE sites or whether other factors
in the env.j-ronment are decisive in this respect.
m Ilowever, in the unlikely event that simulium flies

f start to appear and possibly to transmit the parasite,

control can be achieved by releasing insecticides into

f the water from a dosing device at the dam.

As far as the bilharzia transmitting species of snaiis

f is concerned, it is known that the snails favour ponds
and gently flowing water. The changes to the water
tf regi-me will thus not be favourable to their habitat.

]f GeneralIy speaking, there are few indications that the

regulation will chanqe the environment in such a way
that water-related disease vectors would benefit or
that the changes would significally differ from the
prevailing conditions,

4.3 Impact on man

The niain part of the catchment area has a low popuJ-a_
tion density (O 5 persons per km, ). Since the en_
vironmental impact of the regulation of the Great
Ruaha River is confined to the riverine env_ironment-
the effects will mainly concern the people living in
the near viclnity of the river.

The only major settlements located on the river are

Kidika and Mbuyuni, which are situated on the southern
and northern sides of the river at the Tanzam highway
bridge respectively. However, minor settl.ements do
occur at some distance from.the river, for example at
Igunda, Dodoma and Nyanzwa.
 34

n
The future mean water level at Kidika will- be approxi-
mately 2 m above the present low discharge level and,
as the altered regime will decrease the risks of any
future large scale channel widening, it wilI also de-
crease the possibility of harmful erosion of the
bridge structure. Furthermore, the banks, the upper
parts of which at present lack plant cover, will be
colonj-zed by vegetation when the natural- peak flows
disappear as a result of regulation at Mtera. If the
suggested yearly regulation programme for the lt{tera
reservoir 1s altered to a short period regulation,
this will lead to increased bank erosion, which can
tr be as harmful as the natural peak flood.

At Kidika, there i-s no evidence that the breeding

conditions for water-related disease vectors will im-
prove after the impoundment. On the contrary, the
steady flow of water will-, for instance, spoil the
potential habitats of 'bilharzla snails' in the rj-ver"

4.4 lmpact on wildlife

The catchment area exhibits a rich and diversified
fauna, which is to be expected in an area with a
generally low population density and a richness in
habitats (cf. Ulfstrand 1971). The mountains in par-
ticular are important in this respect because of
their large altitudinal differences and the subsequent
variety of climate and vegetatj-on.

The impact on wildlife and vegetation in generaJ- 1s

considered to be very low. Sj-nce the physical inipact
of the regulation will be limited to a very narrow
zone in the riverine envj-ronment, which in many respectt
wiil changie very little from pre-impoundment conditions
it is difficult to define any particuiar habitat which
might disappear or be significantly changed.

I
I
 35

In some respects, the higher flow of water duri-ng the

dry season, after the impoundment, will affect a
number of aquatic organisms, e.g. fish, which at pre-
sent are adapted to or regulated by the lowest water
levels in the river. By and large, the impact on
wildlife is considered to be small.
 36

c SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

1 After the impoundment of the Great Ruaha River

at Mtera the changed water regime will to some
extent influence the ecology of the downstream
section of the river (cf. items 11-21) .

2 The area drained by the river and its tributaries

between Mtera and Kidatu comprlses about 12,000 kmz "

3 The morphology of the area is characterized by

a tectonicalty broken high reiief terrain vrith
altitudes of about 2,0A0 metres above sea level-

4 The run-off from the north-western drier parts

of the catchment area is about 1 0 times lower
per unit area than from eastern and south-easter:n
parts.

(:
J The plant cover of the drainage area consists of
three vegetation types; open bushland ancl farm-
land, bushland and woodland and mountain rai-n*
forest.

6. The first type is generally associated with the

low run-off areas while the other two occur in
the high run-off area (i.e. the Lukosi and Yovi
sub-catchments ) .

7 The population density within the watershed is

low (0-5 persons/km') except on the Iringa plateau
(15-25 persons/km'?).

B The only major settl-ement at the main river is

the Kidika/Ilbuyuni community along the Tanzam
highway.
 3t

9 The areas with the highest soil erosion due to

intense qrazing by cattle are sj-tuated within the
dry western parts of the catchment.

1 0. The natural discharge in the Great Ruaha Rlver

is characterized by great fiuctuations between
the wet and dry seasons.

11. The regi.:lated flow, after the impoundment at

Mtera, wj-11 increase the dry season discharge
to a considerable degree while cutting the
March-Apri1 peak flow.

12. The sediment transport of the river wili be re-

duced by cutting the peak floods normally uu!!J
^
a rr\r-

ing the bulk of sediments.

1 3. The bed-rock river channel downstream from the

reservoir at Mtera will- prevent the normal deep
cutting of the river after the deposition of its
coarse grained sedj-ments in the reservoii-" An
increased erosion of the sediment "pockets" is,
however, expecLed within the gorge.

14. Generally speaking the rive:: channel pattern can

be divided into gorges and alluvial- channels
(i.e. channels in sediments deposited by the
river) each subject to a different environmental
impact.

1 5. The largest changes within the al-luvial sections

will be expected at those in the Nyanzwa-Dodoma
area and within the section upstream from Kidika/
Mbuyunl.
n 3B

n 16. The main i-mpacts may be sumn',arized as!

n a. decreased (less) change in channel position

b. less channel widening

c. increased bed deposi-tion of sediments

d. high water-ioss dr.rring the dry season

e increased plant colonj-zation on the river

banks and on tire islanrxs forrreC during
former hiqh discharge periocts.

17. The water related disease carryiirg insects and

snails are unlikeiy to benefj-t froin -i-he changes
in their breeding environment"

18. The impact on the human environment is consicereci

t-o be very l-ow since the physical changes that.
will occur are located to rrery limited seclions
of the riverine environment.

19. The fact bhat there are cniy a f ew setLl*:ments

at the river furthermore lirnits the irnpact- c:1"
man "

20 " The proposed changes in the hyCrological rsqime

will decrease the risks for irarmful erosi-on at
the Tanzam highway bridge.

21 . Finally, 1t may be concluded that the damming at

Mtera and its associated changes in ti:e riverj.ne
environment downstream from the reservoir wiil
influence man and wildlife onliz to a very limited
extent.
 39

6 REFERENCES

The following reports, publications and data have

been used in this report, although not aII of them
are cited in the text.

Atl-as of Tanzanla, 1967. llinistrY cf Lands, Settle*

ment and Water dist.rrbution . Govt " Printer, Dar es
Salaam.

Burton, G.J. & MacRae, T.M., 1965" Dam-spillway

breeding of Simulium damnosum Tireobald in northern
Ghana. Ann. Trop' Med'" parasit. 51:80-86'

East Afrlcan ir{eteorological Department Tanzania.

Rainfall figures for Mtera. Rudi, IloIo, Image and
MaIolo. UnPublished.

FAO, 1960. The Rufiji Basin Tanganyika, Vol" I

General Report and VoI - If Hydrology and Water Re-
sources, Rome.

Geological Survey DepartinentTMineral R'esources Divi*

sion, 1954. Quarter Deqree Sheet No. 199' Nyanzwa-
South. Dodoma.

o""er Desree sheet

,":::::
^ro,*,"-r"*
1966. Quarter Degree Sheet
2A0 Doma. Dodoma.

German Geological Mission in Tanzania, 1914" Quar:ter

Degree Sheet 197 lzazL. Hannover.
 40

Haldemann, E.C. 1956. A note on structural features

.rnd erosion i-n Eastern and Southern TanganYika.
Proc. East*Central lleg. Comm. Geol. Dar es Salaam-

llaldemann, tr.C. 1962- The geology of the Rufiji

Basin with reference to the proposed dam sites '
Geol. Surv. of Tanganyika, BulI. 33. Dar es Salaam'

Kovacs, G. & Mort, H.T., 1974. The use of rainfall

data in estimating actual and maximum probabie river
discharge. East African Meteorological Department,
Nairobi.

Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development,

197A. Catalogue of maps, Tanzania. Dar es Salaam'

Ministry of Water Development and Power, 1971.

Hydrometric, climatic and precipitation stations in
Tanzania. Dar es SaIaam.

Ministry of Water, Energy and Flineral-s. Discharge

figures for the Great Ruaha, Mwega, Lukosi and Yovi
Rivers. Unpublished.

Raybould, J.N., 1968. Change and the transmission

of onchocerciasis. E.A. Med. J. 452292*294 "

Schumm, S.A., 1960. The Shape of Alluvial Channels

in Relation to Sediment Type. - Erosion and sedimenta-
rion in a semiarid environment- GeoI. Surv' Prof'
Paper No. 352-8. Washington D-C"

SWECO/TANESCO, 1972. Great Ruaha Power: Project.

Report on phase Ib of Ecologlcal Study. Stockholm.

SWECO/TANESCO,1975. Great Ruaha Power Project,

Tanzania. Mtera and Stage II of Kidatu. Preinvest-
ment Study. Stockholm.
 41

SWECO/TANESCO, 1976. Great Ruaha Power Project,

Tanzania. Ecological Studies of the Mtera Basin.
Stockholm.

SWECO/TANESCO 1977a Land use and conservation po-

tential of the proposed Mtera reservoir region,
Tanzania. Stockholm.

SWECO/TANESCO, 1977b. Great Ruaha Power Project,

Tanzanla. Studies of soil erosion, Vegetation and
Fluvial Transport of lUtera Reservoj-r Region, Tanzania-
Stockholm.

Temple, p.H. & Sundborg, A, 1913. The Rufiji River,

Tanzani-a, Hydrology and sedirnent transport. Geogr-
AnnIr. Vol. 54A: 345-368. Stockholm.

Ulfstrand, S.f 1971. A dry season ecological survey

of the mammal and bird faunas of Kidatu and Mtera
proposed impoundment areas in Great Ruaha River,
Tanzania. SWECO, Stockholm.

Whittingham, J.K., 1961. Pre Karoo Geology of the

country around lringa. Rec. of the Geol. Surv. of
Tanganyika. Vol. 9:34-36. Dar es Salaam.

Whittingham, J. K. , 1 963 . The geological environment

of the Kilombero Val1ey. Rec. of the Geol. Surv. of
Tanganyika. Vol. 10217-26 " Dar es Salaam.
 APPENDIX 1

SOIL SA.I,IPLES FROM THE GREAT RUAHA RIVER

DOWNSTREAM F'ROM THE MTERA DAMSITE

Bo ttom Samples:

SanpIe So. Md Percent per size interval (nm)

coeff.
No. (Trask) rm <0002 < 0.06 0.06-0.2 0.2-0.5 0.5-2.0 2.A Renarks

i:i t.J 0.5 156 7 56 11

6:1 1.6 0.6 19 36 43 B

ö: I 1 3 0.6 36 62 2
o.1 1 3 0.6 J 41 55 D

9:2 1 6 0.5 16 45 ?( 3 E

921 1 ^ a.2 6B 32 tr

Bank Samples:

6:2 2.0 0.006 3 1 49 51 G

B:2 1.4 0.1 B4 16 H

B:3 10 0.1 11 21 t/ 6 B )n I

Remarks: A Sample from eroded dune in the uppermost section

downstream from the reservoir.
B Sample from the alluvial channel at Nyanzwa/Dodoma.
Braided rlver.
C Samp1e from the alluvial- channel upstream from
Kidika/Mbuyuni.
D-F. Samples from the gorge section upstream from the
Kidatu reservoir.
u Sample from a shoreline formed in alluvial material
at Nyanzwa/Dodoma. The shore is developed in a
floodplain partly formed by deposition of suspendec
sediments duringi peak floods.
H Sample from a shoreline formed in alluvial material
upstream from Kidika. The shoreline is developed
in a floodplain-deposit formed by bottom trans-
ported sandy material.
I Sample from a shoreline developed in colluvial- ma-
terial upstream from Kidika. This material is
badly sorted and contains fine grained cohesive
particles maklng it more difficult to erode by
running water than the alluvial shorelines.
 APPtrND]CES 2 11
tt

The most important features of the riverine environment are

summarj-zed on the following ten maps (Appendices 2 _ i 1 ) which
cover the entire ri_ver between the Mtera dam and the Kidatu re_
servoir.

The outline of the rivers are traced from maps in the series
Y 742, 1 :50 000 (I,linistry of Lands, Housing and Urban Develop_
ment 197A) , while the distribution of soils and vegetation is
based on air-photo interpretation and field sulrveys.

LEGEND

Bedrock channel

A Shore in colluvial soils

Alluvial soils

ffi Ftoodptain with riparian forest

Floodplain with bushtand

i,fr+rt
.." Extent of f loodplain

ffi ':')
Riparian forest on
colluvial soils
Bushland on
colluvial soils

x River sections
 Appendix 2

MTERA
RESERVOIR

,^ rl'
'.) 1O Shoreline investigat-ed (c.f .

f; rig. B.)
c
:v SoiI sample 1 :1 1

{t
?,
C

(t
1)
* a2 2a Undulating plateau-lanoscape
a
a with Acacia - Commiphora
( bushlano on both sides of the
wi-de river gorge
J
C,

It

a.).
61 t
I
I
,l
30 The tributary valiey is the
")
'.+ a3 main approach for cattle t,o
,:)
the Great Ruaha river
4
c
aO Seasonal stream draining .]n
),
.t
area close to the N.tr. part
of the Mtera reservorr
+ 6

c,,.
sO Site of temporary settlement,;
c,
c, Mozumba
:
6O Extremely deep cut- gorge
section starts here
+

t'
+
t O FalI-line over qu.rrtzite
7 ranges. The surrounding
r,
,i, a'
landscape is broken with high
risk for soil erosion
 Appendix 3

,.]

tr'l

9,
r5'
*'-
ij, ,(,

: (-' (.
i' C

1l
1O Site of temporary settlement
1J

v) t ,,r,2
!., ',,
'13 t.,
<1.,

,i) 2 a Steep gorge dissecting a

(,
*
t t-,
plateau-landscape with east-
L)
t
ar
-t I (.:'
t' CJ west tectonial trends.
t'rt (' Low risk for söi1 erosion
,()
$'
r]
o3
(.,'
t)
s O Cornmiphora Acacia bushfand
dominates the plateaus on
G.
) both sides the gorge
^a
(JI
c

(..
{

i"'5t
I (,

*;r *
4 ) North-sout-h tectonial val leys
.t) 4,,

3
with extensive pediments
.)
covered by open Acacia
1

2
( tortilis bushlands
0
t)

(,
Ä, t)t.
.

rJ a .i3, oo 5 O Numerous cattletracks follow

r.i,
the valley f l-oor of the tr:i-
5, A !s C) .i Os butary towards the Great
ij (
r_, *
c\
Ruaha river
l,:r, o
r'' rJ r' t)
cj, (,
TJ
6 a Site of temporary settlement
(t

<'i
!.)
,3 13 t.)

'l
5, (J 7
* t O Sediment deposlt-s a long ti-ie
"(j
j'-* river downstream from the
,)

( *
gorge
*
 Appendix 4

c,
')
$;
'.J
.;, v
i a Wide gorge with st,raight
C
t'. V \J ,,

!t §rr'.
)" vA aJ river channel surrounded by
'vl \
r,l , !v a ridge and valley landscape
)t, t
.c,'
,1 with high soil erosion
Y.

r]
(.; 1 poterrtia 1
i rJ..
t.j$
c-, ,

A
fi
^
^A
((: U
(,i "
t't'
A
.t (
,l-
,) 20 Most of the sediments in the
h L.) *
Chomwino River are depositeo
V
,a'\ra\ ) a.
'+

I 'j
A
A
on the upstream 'mbugas I

.J
å.t
a\
a
4
o 3 O Large sediment deposition at
Mtindiri seasonal river in-
dicates high bottom transpc-lrt
J
and sectiment input from t-hc
)
high*rel ief , er:oded northern
part of catchment area
i>r
'l

n C llbungu seasonal river draininq

the northern Iringa plateau
 Appendix 5

a
a
r.) t
a

5,
.lt
(1,

7^
a
,j; 1)
A. +.r ,:,
/at
.7 ,t

.,J
4 ,

(,)
a1
I O Mountain plateau areäs
covered by dense bus h land
2

)
t ,)
it
) a,
2 O Gorge cut through 1andscape
dj ssected by e*w and n-s
tectoni-al trends. The lack
.f
(. of a flood plain indicates
a.
(i an high through transport or
;)
(t
c 8, sediments
t 4

5
6

o3

'1.]'
"'l' 30 The river enters the
i,' A
A Nyanzwa-Dodoma f lood-p1-ain
which is the most dynamic
section of the river. The
areas of riparian forest
become increasingly com,'ncJn

-l
I
f a1 ?
Appendix 6

f t1
_. : (...i a1
a1 'I
i O Nyanzwa village is l.ocated

f e. 5*6 km from the Great Ruaha

river near the seasonal ftemer

f stream. The upper reaches of

the itemera vallelz are to a
great extent useo for culti-
f t vation of crops

f
f pO The Nyanzwa-Dodoma flood-
plain is the most d),namic

f ',
'(
section of the river. The
most recent large scale
changes of the river course
f I
are marked on the map.
Shore-1ine investiqated
f, (c.f. Fig. 9) soil samples
6:1, 6:2
PA L
ffi MTS
:
.\ ö 3 C The f lood-plain ext-ends f cr
flmnl approx 5 km towards the nort,h.
It is covered by patches and
banos of riparian vegetation
following old river beds
separated by areas of bushland
,?7
JC' A
3r,,
"t
r O The river entering an allurrial
4
channel with flood-plain,
)-f within a wide tectonlcal
va I ley
cl C.
I
I Appendix 1

I It
A
r O Signs of abandoned farmlands

I
I
I 2

f zO SedimentarY dePosits which,

during natural conditions,
f ),

'.,
t
(,'.
A
are continuouslY changed bY
erosion and sedimentation.

f )
!,t
{t.
*
A

iJ
A
Ä
A .,
This process will continue
after the regulation of the

t
tl, a1 1
e r river but to a lower degree

I .)
(i

3a The Mwega permanent river

v
drain the wetter eastern
rut I parts of the catchment.
Deposits course grained
ffiflt sediments at the confluence
with the mai-n river

a4
,
2, a,O The plant cover of the

// /i:
MALOLO
pediments becomes Poorer to-
wards the Mtandika PIain "
mr //
Ir Signs of abandoneo farmlanct
/t are frequent. Severar sandY
// rivers drain this area
lt
l/
TO
mnt ll
ilI ,
MBUYUNI

hr
 Appendix B
TO
t MALO[.O
il
:t \r
\\
tat.,
\l
ll
t1
tt
ll
ilrt r rt Shore Iine invest igated (c . f .

)) Fis.10.)
/t
/1 Soil samples B:1, B:3
/

zO Location of transect through

o2
r ipar i an forest (c.f.Fiq.11.)

t/
I
,l
tt :It Kidika and Mb,uyuni are the
TO l/
I IRINGA
+*
KIDIKA
I3
t/
//
It
only major set,tlements on
the river bet.ween l,ltera and
the Kidatu reservoir
It 5 A
MtsUYUt'-ll

aO Sit-e of cross section and

estimated water level varia-
,A
tic,ns (c.f .fiq.12.)
I 6

ft 50 The Lukosi river is respon-

sible for most of the dry
season flow in this section
TO MIKUMI of the Grea1'- Ruaha river
I
30 The ripar:ian forest of the
Lukos j f lood-plain has, t.-r .l
great- extent, been replaced
i1
: .;A I I
by farmland and bushLanrl
r.C?; through cul tirzation
lr .)

Ir
[,1
n

nl Apoendi-x 9
.,J

rl it TO
ri \ KIDIKA
.

nl
[l 1 O The river is confined to the

r ),
l *
;J a:'t

A
geological structure. River
sediments are depositetj

r temporarily between the rapid

L.
t) ab A
.)tL)t, ^ |
C:) cr i,
A Ir
V t1
,|,,
a,' i.r
,,4
,r c:'

't'

f vl!
n ö' 2a The Kiday plain is covered by

I bushland which 1s strongly

dominated by Acacias and
Baobab trees indicating the
I ., *
dry character of the area.
There are many signs of

r r"J- i ,"i
Oz previous f arming ac tirzi te s
near the river

rl .,t
i).,r

:r [i 30 Sediment sample 9:3

4a The bushlands of the slopes,

,c
i,: ,3 dominated by Commiphora trees
13ts
[? and Candelabra Euphorbias,
T,J
offer poor cover for the
ground
o4 ^
O The settlement_ at Kiday,
E
which previously seems to
KIDAYI have been rather 1arge, is
I
now entirely abandoned
(, TO
I MIKUMI
 Appendix 1 0
')
s),
Y ,l) I
(,1
,1 .:! 0
I
\,,

LUBWE v
,//./r,/
. MTS

t---

TO
1 O Last "pool" areas upstream
- KIDIKA from the Kidatu reservoir
.§-r with temporary deposition
of sediments

1,".3
t,'

2
-f
?,i.'
il, j
2 a Scattered remains of
: *
a3
riparian forest
( \\
1(
* \rV
_\-
: t)
d, .?
_--\
r.3
{r.
(L'

H {i
(.
{,': 6
$
MSANGA
MTS s O Sedj-ment sample 9:2
t?
* t,-'z
$-''i a 4

x
i)
,, i)
,(' -.,
*', 4 a The slopes of the Msanga
\()
(, *
(J
L
ro
-/ vn mts are mainly covered by
2
C- grassland or low bushland
(t'
*.-
.)

r (t:

')
o.t
I
,i, .3
Cr

ta i'
(t, ,i:: sO Sediment sample 9 z1
,','
*,.
rJ
+
å,.t
.l
()
(:'
(7
(ji
rl TO
,l MIKUMI
5

tr
I f

f:
'") 9;
Appendix 1 1

T
r (a i,i

,i (
D

I 1a The hillsides of the gorge

f
1

o
are covered bY bushland or
aL/
wooded grassland where

il 'J )(l,
,i' .) t,
r' f'
Terminalia and Combretum
trees are coflImon.
Plant cover of the sloPes
rl .ti
2
is good
ij
il ')
?*

il .'

c3
ij
j) .'
.)
'1's
2a The permanent. Yovi river
draj-ns the eastern (wet)
il r':.'
parts of the catchment

I KIDATU
)t
30 Extent of the Kidatu
reservoir
ffi RESERVOIR

aO The Kidatu reservoir is

situated within a narrow
gorge where the sloPes of
the hills are covered bY
[]I % wooded grassland

flil

nil

ilt
nI

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