Deforestation, wetland encroachment, and climate change are making water increasingly scarce and unreliable for 2.5 million people who depend on the Mpanga River Basin in western Uganda. The river runs brown and unusable during the rainy season and slows to almost nothing in the dry season.

But across the basin, communities and government are finding ways to adapt. The Ministry of Water has been working alongside communities to restore the hillsides and wetlands that keep water clean and available, introducing reforestation and alternative livelihoods to build climate resilience.