By Tony Achidria – Senior Environment Awareness Officer

River Rwizi is the life line of south western Uganda. A main water source that supports farming, a lifeline for livestock, a resource for businesses and industries, and part of the natural environment that communities have depended on for generations.

From the hills of Rwampara and Buhweju, River Rwizi begins its journey through a network of wetlands, streams and tributaries. Along the way, its waters support thousands of people and a wide range of economic activities.

But today, the river is under pressure from expansion of trading centres expand, cultivation and other developments. The natural landscape within the Rwizi Catchment is changing with wetland and riverbanks along the catchment being degraded.

Soil erosion and sedimentation has increased while the degraded wetlands along the catchment are losing their ability to regulate water and filter pollutants. The river has become increasingly turbid in some areas. For a river that supports so many people, this is a warning that cannot be ignored.

The story of River Rwizi is, in many ways, the story of what happens when the natural systems that support communities begin to weaken.

Wetlands are sometimes viewed simply as pieces of land where crops can be grown, especially when farmers are looking for additional space. But these ecosystems perform important functions. They hold and slowly release water, filter pollutants, reduce flooding, control erosion and help maintain water sources during dry periods.

When vegetation is removed and land is cultivated right up to the water’s edge, rainwater carries soil and other materials into the river. With time, this contributes to sedimentation and affects the quality and health of the river system.

This is why protecting River Rwizi cannot be separated from how people use the land around it. It is also why restoring the river cannot be left to one institution alone.

Joint Effort to restore the Rwizi Catchment

It is against this background that the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), working together with the Ministry of Water and Environment, Local Governments and other stakeholders, is undertaking a catchment-wide restoration exercise for River Rwizi.

The first phase of the restoration exercise is focusing on raising awareness, profiling and mapping of selected degraded sections of the upper and middle River Rwizi Catchment.

Awareness and community engagement activities have already been undertaken in parts of Sheema District and are currently being conducted in Mbarara City.

In Mbarara City, the exercise is covering selected areas in both the Southern and Northern Divisions, including Kakoba, Katete, Ruti, Rukindo, Rwakishakizi, Kamukuzi, Nyarubanga, Rwemigina and Ruharo.

These engagements are giving communities an opportunity to raise the challenges they face, understand their responsibilities and discuss practical ways of protecting the catchment. The engagements have included interaction with large, medium and small scale industrial establishments such as breweries, diary plants and others operating along the catchment.

The experiences from these areas will also help inform subsequent interventions in other parts of the Rwizi Catchment.

The exercise involves understanding what is happening across the catchment, identifying areas under pressure and working with the people who live and earn their livelihoods there to find practical solutions.

The River Rwizi Catchment stretches across parts of Ntungamo, Buhweju, Sheema, Rwampara, Mbarara, Isingiro, Kiruhura, Lyantonde, Kyotera and Rakai districts.

These areas are connected by rivers, streams and wetlands. What happens in one part of the catchment can therefore have consequences somewhere else.

A farmer cultivating a wetland or a riverbank upstream may not immediately see how that activity affects someone downstream. But when soil, waste and other pollutants are carried by rainwater into the river, the effects eventually reach communities and ecosystems further along the river system. A production plant discharging waste water will also affect those downstream.

That is why the restoration exercise is taking a catchment-wide approach, starting from the upper catchment to downstream areas.

Community engagements, profiling and mapping

NEMA and its partners are identifying and mapping degraded wetland hotspots within the catchment. This involves looking at the condition of the wetlands, the activities taking place there, the people using them and the communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

Community members, wetland users, local leaders and other stakeholders are being engaged to discuss the importance of wetlands and other ecosystems and how they can be used without destroying them.

For many families, the environment is their source of livelihood. People farm, keep livestock, run businesses and depend on natural resources to support their households.

The message that we are passing on is not simply: “Stop using the wetland.” but “How can we use our natural resources without destroying the very resources on which our livelihoods depend?”

Where illegal activities are identified, appropriate action will be taken in accordance with Uganda’s environmental laws. This could involve confirming wetland boundaries, identifying protection zones, issuing administrative notices and taking enforcement action against activities that continue to degrade protected ecosystems.

However, the long-term solution will require communities to understand why these ecosystems matter and to take ownership of their protection. A wetland that is restored today but encroached on again tomorrow has not really been restored. That is why awareness, community participation, restoration and enforcement must go together.

Restoring River Rwizi will not happen overnight. It requires sustained effort, follow-up and cooperation among Government, Local Governments, communities, landowners, businesses, development partners and other stakeholders.

Once restoration interventions have been undertaken, Local Governments, supported by the NEMA Regional Office in Mbarara, will continue monitoring the affected areas.

Routine field inspections will help assess whether degraded areas are recovering, whether compliance is improving and where additional interventions may be required.