The monetary value of water to the local community around lake Nabugabo, Masaka district.

Abstract

The study aimed at examining the economic value of water to the local community around Lake Nabugabo. The researcher used cross sectional design. This is because data was collected from the respondents at one point in time, thus giving a reflection of a state of a problem at hand. The researcher also used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The Primary data was collected through household interviews and observation while Secondary was collected from documentaries and literature from public libraries. The market valuation technique was used in the research where market prices of water were mainly considered. The data collected was entered into EXCEL and SPSS (version 20) where' the findings from the questionnaires were analysed. The findings indicate that on average. every household uses 54.4 litres of water for domestic purposes valued at 762 Ugshs. The average amount of water used for irrigation and other cultivation activities was found out to be 50.4 litres valued at 742 Ugshs per household. For livestock it was observed that the average amount of water used daily is 49.8 litres valued at 690 Ugshs averagely per household. The monetary value of water to the local community around Lake Nabugabo is estimated at 4,016,667,870 Ugshs indicating that water is of a very high economic value. The government should therefore lay all strategies to protect Water resources. The researcher also recommends that government should encourage private investments in the water resources for example the investment in recreation activities like beaches engine boats and water rafting. This will increase the level of tourism activities in the area. The researcher also recommends co-management of the water resource, stake holder involvement and participation in decision making and policy implementation concerning the management of the resource.