Making space for rivers

… to strengthen climate resilience

Rivers are the veins of our planet. They help keep nature, people, and economies healthy by managing the flow of water, nutrients, and life across the landscape. When our rivers are healthy, we all benefit. As climate change gets worse, it is even more important to make space for rivers. Healthy rivers help ensure we have enough water to drink and protect people from the impact of extreme weather such as flooding. That is why Join For Water, with the support from the Flemish Climate Action Program, is working on pilot projects in Benin and Uganda to strengthen climate resilience. In this article, we share key insights from our projects in Uganda and Benin.

Floodplains as water managers

A floodplain is a flat area next to a river that gets covered with water when the river overflows, for example during heavy rains. Floodplains are crucial for fighting climate change. They store carbon in their soil and plants, which helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. By absorbing floodwaters, they also protect nearby areas from flooding, making it easier for communities to adapt to changing weather patterns. Think of a floodplain as nature’s way of managing water, storing carbon, and keeping the environment healthy. Therefore, it is very important to make space for the river so that floodplains can perform their vital functions.

Join For Water runs a climate action programme in two floodplains: the floodplain of the lower Mono River in Benin (Athiémé) and the floodplain of the lower Semliki River in Uganda (Ntoroko). Both projects aim to enhance the resilience of communities to climate change by restoring and sustainably managing floodplains and their benefits to people and climate.

Benin Floodplain — Join For Water aims to enhance the resilience of communities to climate change by restoring and sustainably managing floodplains. Benin (c) Join For Water

Our impact so far

Solutions to cope with changing weather patterns

Both floodplains face too much water during the rainy season and too little during the dry season, with dry periods lasting longer and floods becoming more extreme. Efficient water management practices are therefore important in both areas. Different solutions have been developed to address this need.

In Benin, ten boreholes equipped with gas-powered pumps provide continuous access to groundwater for irrigation during the dry season. Thirty farmers, including eighteen women, have been equipped with perforated band irrigation systems or drip irrigation kits to water their vegetable production for market sale. The infrastructure is mobile, meaning that it can be removed at times of heavy flooding to avoid damage. In Uganda, two large solar-powered irrigation systems and drinking troughs for livestock have been constructed which can be used by over 1300 people. The infrastructure is built away from the river to limit risks of flood damage during the wet season, and the troughs for livestock also help protect the riverbanks by keeping cows from trampling the banks when they formerly drank in the river during dry seasons.

In both cases, the locally adapted solutions allow farmers to maintain crop production even during dry periods, reducing their dependence on unpredictable rainfall, and reduce the impact of droughts and floods.

Article continues after some pictures of Benin.

Resilient floodplains

Aside from direct water management, the restoration of critical floodplain ecosystems benefits both biodiversity and human populations. By rehabilitating floodplains and reforesting degraded areas, Join For Water helps maintain natural water filtration systems and mitigates the effects of extreme weather events.

In Benin, we have deepened the floodplain basin through sediment removal. This dredging process increases the water storage capacity of the floodplain, which in turn helps to restore their key ecosystem services such as flood regulation, groundwater recharge and CO2 storage. By removing sediment, water can be retained more effectively within the floodplain during the rainy season, reducing the risk of sudden flooding while replenishing underground aquifers. The removed sediments have been reused for the construction of an earthen dike, which now protects surrounding villages from seasonal floods. This intervention helps restore the resilience of the floodplain while also strengthening that of the communities.

In Uganda, there are laws requiring 100-meter buffer zones around rivers to protect water quality and manage floodwaters. However, these laws are not always followed. To address this, we worked with partners and local authorities to create a river protection plan. We marked buffer zones in the project area to keep agriculture and livestock away. Some areas were left to rewild naturally, while others were replanted. This creates more space for the river, which helps prevent flooding, boosts biodiversity, and increases the soil’s ability to store carbon.

The applied solutions are small in scale, but they can have ripple effects, benefiting not only the immediate project areas but also contributing to regional and global climate goals.

Promoting shared knowledge and governance

In the context of long-term climate resilience, it is really important to work with multiple stakeholders such as farmers, communities and local authorities. This helps to share knowledge and create fair ways to manage and protect water for the long term (what we call water and ecosystem governance).

In Benin, technical committees have been set up in each village, and farmers have been trained in using and maintaining the irrigation systems, and on eco-friendly farming practices. Join For Water, with the University of Liège, has created a demonstration plot where farmers learn best practices in irrigation, soil conservation, and climate-resilient agriculture. These efforts help reduce soil erosion and store carbon, aiding long-term climate goals. We also combine these solutions with hydrological studies, to investigate how to prevent over-extraction of groundwater, which otherwise can lead to long-term environmental degradation. Farmers also learn to manage the new water infrastructure, ensuring the project’s sustainability. Clear rules are in place to maintain boreholes and irrigation systems, empowering communities to take charge of their water resources.

In Uganda, planning and coordination meetings have been held with stakeholders to determine the best solutions for the context and identify the most suitable locations. Water user committees oversee maintenance and fair distribution of water via the irrigation systems, promoting community ownership. Join For Water also collaborates with Mountains of the Moon University to develop research and studies on climate impacts on water resources in the region, and supports our partners in developing sustainable management plans for protection and conservation measures. Training sessions for community members are organized on how to maintain the built infrastructure.

Uganda Semliki protection zone — Buffer zones in the project area keep agriculture and livestock away. Uganda (c) Join For Water

By enabling capacity building at different levels (from farmers to local authorities), our pilot projects aim to ensure the sustainability of interventions and enable communities to manage their water resources effectively.

From climate action into policy

Local solutions alone are not enough. We want to expand our projects to show they can help with national climate plans. Both projects work to include sustainable water and ecosystem management in local and national climate policies. In both countries, we organise workshops and advocacy actions to add wetland management to local plans. These efforts make sure our projects feed into national policy needs and are supported by higher authorities.

Small-scale interventions can create meaningful change

Making space for rivers is not just an environmental measure, it is a social, economic, and ecological priority. Healthy rivers provide clean water, food security, protection from floods and droughts, and a habitat for biodiversity. They are natural allies in our fight against climate change impacts. Join For Water’s pilot projects in Uganda and Benin prove that even small-scale interventions, when well-planned and managed by the community, can create meaningful change. Our interventions serve as models for climate adaptation and mitigation strategies in water and river management. By integrating scientific research, community participation, and policy advocacy, these projects contribute to the broader global efforts to combat climate change.

With the support of:

Vlaanderen Departement Omgeving

Pictures below: Uganda (c) Joseph Muhumuza – George Bwambale – NRDI – Kim Vercruysse