Achwa River, Uganda

Published: June 25, 2009, 1:37 pm

Updated: June 25, 2009, 1:37 pm

Lead Authors: World Wildlife Fund, Peter Saundry

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Geography

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This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Lakhdar Boukerrou

Rivers and lakes of Uganda. Source: Ezeu/Wikipedia

The Achwa River is a major river in northeastern Uganda which flows northwest into Sudan where it is named the Aswa River and joins the White Nile.

The river begins in hills in the northwestern part of Katakwi Province and flows through Lira Province and becomes the border between the provinces of Pader and Gula where the Agago River and then the Pager River flow into it. The Achwa River forms most of the border between the provinces of Atiak and Gitgum before crossing into Sudan east of the border town of Nimule and joining the White Nile about ten miles northwest of Nimule. That particular section of the White Nile is known as Bahr el Jebel or "River of the Mountain", or Mountain Nile.

The Achwa drains much of the northeastern highland and northern plateau of Uganda.

Like most rivers in the region the flow of the Achwa is strongly influenced by the season and weather. It is prone to flooding at times. In 2000, it submerged the bridge connecting the cities of Gula and Kitgum.

The distance from the Achwa's headwaters to joining the White Nile is about 185 miles.

The river flows through East Sudanian savanna which encompasses much of northeastern Uganda. This hot, dry, wooded savanna composed mainly of Combretum and Terminalia shrub and tree species and tall elephant grass has been adversely affected by agricultural activities, fire, clearance for wood and charcoal, but large blocks of relatively intact habitat remain even outside protected areas. Populations of some of the larger mammal species have been reduced by hunting, but good numbers of others remain.

See Major rivers, lakes, mountains, and other terrestrial features of Uganda

Uganda country profile

Citation

World Wildlife Fund, Peter Saundry (Lead Author);Lakhdar Boukerrou (Topic Editor) "Achwa River, Uganda". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth June 25, 2009; Last revised Date June 25, 2009; Retrieved February 10, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Achwa_River%2C_Uganda>

The Authors

Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries around the globe to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the U.S. and another 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organization. WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: 1) saving endangered ... (Full Bio)

Stewardship Committee The Encyclopedia of Earth Dr. Peter Saundry is the Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), a nonpartisan organization working to improve the scientific basis of environmental decision making. The NCSE works closely with the many communities that create and use environmental knowledge to make and shape environmental decisions, including academic, scientific, environmental, and business organizations, as well as federal, s ... (Full Bio)