Saving River Rwizi from extinction

AMBROSE MUHUMUZA

Environmentalists have projected that River Rwizi will dry up between 2020-2055 unless serious interventions are put in place to save it.

Rwizi acts as the only source of water for six districts of Mbarara, Rakai, Sheema, Isingiro, Buhweju and Ntungamo but its catchment areas have continued to be degraded by the locals which are greatly contributing to its extinction. River Rwizi is majorly threatened by encroachment on its catchments areas, contamination, silting as a result of brick laying as well as sand mining.

The river that supplies water to Mbarara Municipality and other major towns in the region has had its waters decrease over the past decade due to encroachment.The ministry of Water and Environment has now embarked on water retention interventions in upland catchment areas to save the Rwizi.

This move started with construction of water conservation structures that include earth and stone bunds, retention beaches, gabions and trenches in the upland catchment areas.

Following these interventions, runoff has been tamed thus increasing soil fertility in highland areas, generation of constant water supply in lowland areas, reduction of floods and increment of water levels in the river.

More than Shs 450 million has so far been injected in the construction of water conservation structures in Nyakambu in Buhweju, Masyoro in Sheema and Kabingo in Isingiro district.

Even some of the locals who were forcefully evicted from the catchment areas said this was a good move by government.

In October, President Museveni said the government is incurring a lot of money to pump water from the river to the people which he attributed to some unscrupulous individuals who encroach on the wetlands.

He directed the authorities to evict all the encroachers but this is yet to be done in some areas. Environmentalists say sometimes politicians fail them as they try to fulfil Museveni’s directives to protect their votes.