20-years ago, when Musanze – then called Ruhengeri – was still a small town, Mpenge River was ecologically in good health. Moreover, as the town expanded with a growing population, the river became increasingly threatened by pollution. “People threw waste into the water and even garage workers from the town dumped their wastes on the river banks,” says Susanne Ntakayoberana, who has lived near the river for 40-years. The place became a dump site, and there was an unpleasant view of garbage in the water. With a conservation message, Nature Rwanda engaged the local community in planting trees in buffer area. Photo by Moise M. Bahati Mpenge River is located on the outskirts of Musanze City, where agricultural and livestock activities are practiced, and it should be protected according to the environment law. The 9 kilometre river flows into Mukungwa, a tributary of Nyabarongo— Rwandas second longest river. In October 2020, a group of young conservationists launched a project on Mpenge River with a goal to clean its polluted water and protect aquatic life. Before the restoration project, a water quality assessment done at the river exposed enormous challenges. “We measured the concentration of chemical and physical properties in the water using a biodiversity index and the level of pollution was very high,” says Jean Claude Dusabimana, the executive director of Nature Rwanda, a youth-led organisation implementing the project. Polluted Mpenge River was not just a threat to the biodiversity, it also had impacts on the people who use its water. Photo by Moise M. Bahati “The normal water quality should be three points on the index, but due to pollution, we found that the water in Mpenge ranged between eight and nine points. Ten points indicate the highest level of water pollution.” They also looked at the number of microorganisms living in the water, and the more the pollutants, the less organisms they found. Agriculture activities, including livestock and crop farming, had encroached the waterway. “The riparian zone had been eroded so much that the river looked naked,” Dusabimana said. Nature Rwanda says the agricultural activities and the pollutants had impacts not just on the river, but also on the people who use its water. The way forward after conservation The restoration project on Mpenge River is supported by Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). After launching the project, Nature Rwanda engaged the local community in planting trees on 10 metre to create a buffer zone. The 9km Mpenge River is tributary of Mukungwa, which pours into Nyabarongo, Rwandas second longest river. Photo by Moise M. Bahati Taking part in these activities has helped us understand the benefits of protecting rivers, Hamdan Nzirorera, a 46-year-old resident of Muhoza Sector, said at a recent tree-planting exercise. We no longer throw waste into the river. Waste collectors take them to a designated landfill. For the conservationists, the restoration of Mpenge River has started bearing fruits. The area has also been transformed into a strategic bird watching site, capable of raking in critical tourism revenues. Dusabimana says that the number of bird species has now grown to 53, up from 17 species before the project. The quality of water in the river has also improved significantly, from nine down to four points on the biodiversity index, he said, clarifying that the lowest level of pollution is three points. We are very glad that the disposal of waste, in the river, and other human activities, such as grazing in the buffer area and cutting the riparian vegetation have stopped,” Dusabimana says. While he commends the governments support for conservation projects, Dusabimana calls upon the local administration to help in the mobilisation of communities in enforcing environmental protection laws. Going forward, we want to empower the local community, especially the youth, in order to sustain what has been achieved. And wed like to see this place explored for ecotourism.
