The Great Ruaha river has a basin catchment area of 83,970 square kilometres (32,421 sq mi).

The Great Ruaha River supplies 22 percent of the total flow of the Rufiji catchment system.

From there the Great Ruaha River descends to the Usangu plains, an important region for irrigated agriculture and livestock in Tanzania.

This has been attributed to uncontrolled and poor water management, with the large rice irrigation schemes playing a major role.

[2] A report published by the World Bank listed the Great Ruaha as an endowment in crisis due to environmental factors.