Ruo river basin is one of the largest basins in Malawi
Ruo river basin is one of the largest basins in Malawi, covering an area of 3519 k (Figure 1). The basin has four water resources units (WRU) categorized as 14A, 14B, 14C and 14D. Thuchila river catchment falls in the two categories, namely 14A and 14B, with a total area of 1573.71.
The river starts at the upstream edge of 1860m elevation to the downstream altitude of 682m. Other streams such as Likulezi, Kwakwasi, Namlenga joins the river downstream of the catchment. The population estimates of the whole basin are at 684 107(NSO, 2019). The primary human activity in the basin is subsistence and commercial farming since the country’s economy relies heavily on agriculture. About eighty-five percent of the Malawi population lives in rural areas, and agriculture accounts for over 80% of employment in the country. The typical climate of Malawi is tropical wet and dry, commonly known as savanna. The climate of Malawi is characterized by the dominance of north-south migration of the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). This Zone is marked by the convergence of northeasterly monsoon and southeasterly trade winds. The rainy season in Malawi starts from November to April and the dry season from May to October (Kelly et al., 2019; Ngongondo et al., 2011). The annual rainfall in Malawi varies from 700 mm to 2,500 mm in the different parts of the country’s southern and northern areas.