Variabilities and Trends of Rainfall, Temperature, and River Flow in Sipi Sub-Catchment on the Slopes ofMt. Elgon, Uganda
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Water
Abstract
The variabilities in rainfall and temperature in a catchment affect water availability and
sustainability. This study assessed the variabilities in rainfall and temperature (1981–2015) and river
flow (1998–2015) in the Sipi sub-catchment on annual and seasonal scales. Observed daily rainfall
and temperature data for Buginyanya and Kapchorwa weather stations were obtained from the
Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), while the daily river-flow data for Sipi were
obtained from the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE). The study used descriptive statistics,
the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Mann–Kendall trend analysis, and Sen’s slope estimator.
Results indicate a high coefficient of variation (CV) (CV > 30) for August, September, October, and
November (ASON) seasonal rainfall, while annual rainfall had a moderate coefficient of variation
(20 < CV < 30). The trend analysis shows that ASON minimum and mean temperatures increased at
= 0.001 and = 0.05 levels of significance respectively in both stations and over the entire catchment.
Furthermore, annual and March, April, and May (MAM) river flows increased at an = 0.05 level
of significance. A total of 14 extremely wet and dry events occurred in the sub-catchment during
the post-2000 period, as compared to five in the pre-2000. The significant increased trend of river
flow could be attributed to the impacts of climate and land-use changes. Therefore, future studies
may need to quantify the impacts of future climate and land-use changes on water resources in the
sub-catchment.
Description
Keywords
Annual and seasonal scales, Variabilities, Extremely wet and dry, Water resources, Mt. Elgon, Uganda
Citation
Kilama Luwa, J., Majaliwa, J. G. M., Bamutaze, Y., Kabenge, I., Pilesjo, P., Oriangi, G., & Bagula Mukengere, E. (2021). Variabilities and trends of rainfall, temperature, and river flow in sipi sub-catchment on the slopes of mt. Elgon, uganda. Water, 13(13), 1834. Kilama Luwa, J.; Majaliwa, J.-G.M.; Bamutaze, Y.; Kabenge, I.; Pilesjo, P.; Oriangi, G.; Bagula Mukengere, E. Variabilities and Trends of Rainfall, Temperature, and River Flow in Sipi Sub-Catchment on the Slopes of Mt. Elgon, Uganda. Water 2021, 13, 1834. https:// doi.org/10.3390/w13131834