Burundi Eco – The Akagera River, this threatened heritage – 2024-08-05 16:19:23 – 2024-08-05 16:19:25

Despite the different set up to protect the Akagera River on Ngomo Hill in Giteranyi Commune in Muyinga Province, this river is threatened by agricultural activities that take place along it. The local administration is calling for the protection of this heritage for the good of all.

We are on the banks of the Akagera River, on the Ngomo hill in the commune of Giteranyi, in the province of Muyinga. This river forms a border between Burundi and Rwanda, in this region of northern Burundi. Pirogues are parked next to each other on the banks of this river, proof that there are fishing activities taking place here. According to Mr. Bosco Ndayizeye, aged 54 and living on this hill, this river has been feeding several families in the locality for years. The marketing of fish products is also an income-generating activity for more than one.

Its threatened banks

Despite the many assets of the Akagera, agricultural activities along its banks pose a threat that could have harmful consequences if no measures are taken to reverse the trend. On the Burundian side, there are small vegetable fields cultivated along this river. According to Serdie Manirutingabo, an agricultural engineer on the hill, these fields are cultivated by recalcitrants, because the local administration has already banned all activity in this buffer zone.

A resident of this locality approached explained that some residents of this locality decide to cultivate small fields along this river due to the smallness of the arable land. “They only cultivate vegetables there and I do not think that small fields like these can pose a threat to this river,” he believes.

Activities that are not without harmful consequences

According to Ms. Floride Nduwayezu, administrator of the commune of Giteranyi, the mismanagement of this river is not without serious consequences both on the environment and on cooperation with neighboring countries. She explains that this is not the first time that inhabitants along this river have tried to carry out agricultural activities there, although this work has been prohibited by the administration. This agricultural work leads to water diversions from this river on the Burundian side.

Regarding cooperation, Ms. Nduwayezu emphasizes that this river is a common good between Burundi and Rwanda. “If this river is threatened on the Burundian side, it can have repercussions on Rwanda and vice versa. Another thing is that it plays an essential role in supplying the Rusumo dam, which is shared between Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. It would be a shame if a malfunction occurred due to poor management on our part,” she said.

It should be noted that within the framework of the Local Area Development Program (LADP), a government project financed by the World Bank via NELSAP, activities aimed at protecting the Akagera watersheds have been implemented. These include, among others, the tracing of contour lines in fields located near rivers and the planting of agroforestry trees.