Lumi River (East Africa)

Lumi
Mouth Lake Jipe
Basin countries Tanzania; Kenya
Mouth elevation 707m
Basin area 451 km²
River system Pangani River

The River Lumi (also Lomi or Luffu) is located in northern Tanzania and southern Kenya in Coast Province. It originates on the east side of Mawenzi (Mount Kilimanjaro), and flows so close to the River Rombo as almost to form a fork. The Lumi, however, maintains its southerly direction, and may thus be said to represent the upper course of the Ruvu, one of tho two main sources of the Pangani River. It flows around the Lake Chala and the Taveta town in the west and empties into the Lake Jipe.[1] The fish species Barbus sp. 'Pangani' has only been found in the river's N'joro Springs, situated in the upper Pangani River drainage basin.

Wetland management

Most water taken from the Lumi is from the section that flows through Kenya.[2] After the building of several dams along the Kenyan side of the Lumi, and with several periods of reduced rainfall, the dry up of Lake Jipe became a concern, necessitating wetland management programs.[3] During the period of 2004-2006, the United Nations Development Programme GEF Small Grants Programme and the Biodiversity Conservation Programme of the European Union have completed a de-siltation and restoration project of the river's original course.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "BASELINE SURVEY REPORT FOR LAKE JIPE". Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  2. ↑ IUCN Eastern Africa Programme; IUCN Water and Nature Initiative; Tanzania. Pangani Basin Water Office; Kenya. Coast Development Authority (2003). Pangani basin: a situation analysis. IUCN. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-2-8317-0760-0. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. ↑ Maltby, Edward (2009). The wetlands handbook. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 855–. ISBN 978-0-632-05255-4. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "Rehabilitation of Lake Jipe Ecosystem: River Lumi Banks Stabilization and Rehabilitation of Irrigation Canals (KEN-GEF-04-020)". GEF Small Grants Programme. 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2011.

Coordinates: 3°32′44″S 37°45′17″E / 3.54556°S 37.75472°E