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MBARARA

As the campaign to restore the degraded River Rwizi continues to take shape, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has set aside sh500m to carry out post-Save River Rwizi Marathon activities. These activities included community mobilisation and tree planting.

WWF conservation programmes manager Simon Peter Weredwong says they are going to plant about 50,000 bamboo trees to cover 1.5 square kilometres on the river banks to help in controlling soils that are washed into the river causing siltation.  WWF has partnered with the water and environment ministry to save Rwizi.

Over 2,000 people on July 28, 2024, thronged Booma grounds in Mbarara city to take part in the third annual Save River Rwizi Marathon in a bid to create more awareness about the state of River Rwizi and how it can be conserved with other water catchment areas.

“We have already gotten a private company that is going to extract water hyacinth from the river and turn it into manure to reduce pollution,” Weredwong said.

He added, “We are going to plant 29 hectares of environmentally friendly trees in Ruharo ward in Mbarara city and carry out restoration campaigns in Nyamitanga wards.

What has been done so far?

Secretary River Rwizi water catchment management committee Evelyne Kyomugisha said from the past two marathons they have carried out, they have managed to construct 18 waste bankers in major schools including Ntare School in Mbarara out of 50 waste bankers they had planned.

Maj. Tabaro Kiconco, UPDF second division spokesperson flagging off the 10km participants. (Photo by Adolf Ayoreka)

“We have managed to engage about 2,000 people in several meetings held in areas of Kasanyarazi, Taso village, Buremba, Kakoba and Lugazi cell to sensitise them on the benefits of conservation including greening campaigns in various schools.

Callist Tindimugaya, the commissioner in charge of water resources in the water ministry, who was the chief runner in the marathon, said the pressure being mounted on wetlands and other water catchment areas in the region is alarming, arguing that this has caused siltation of some of  R. Rwizi.

“We have so far engaged all the 11 districts that share river Rwizi and managed to come up with R. Rwizi catchment management plan that has helped them to identify the problems on the river and how they can be addressed to reduce encroachment and waste pollution through campaigns that create awareness on the dangers,” Tindimugaya said.

Adding that with the increase of Mbarara city’s population, it has come with an increase in high demand for water.

“Previously, the amount of water in Rwizi has been very low but with these interventions of creating awareness and engaging communities on alternative sources of income, we have managed to restore 10 wetlands in the last two years and I can confirm that the water levels are coming up gradually,” he added.

The participants were running in the categories of 21km, 10km and five kilometers.

Chebet Oscar emerged as the winner for the 21km and was awarded a sh1m cash