Safeguarding the Nile Basin: New Efforts in Tanzania



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According to the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Water and Veterinary Affairs of the Tanzanian Parliament Mahmoud Hbadan Mgimwa

The river of 3 176 541 km is the main source of water sweet for about 11 countries, including Tanzania.

"Tanzania is doing everything in its power to protect the water sources and lakes of the basin, particularly Tanganyika, Rukwa, Victoria and Nyasa", notes Mgimwa who cites the formation of management boards water for these "

It also notes that Tanzania is actively participating in the ongoing discussions on the impact of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (ORG) on the flow of the Nile.

Egypt, a downstream nation, fears that GERD could disrupt the flow of Nile waters to its citizens who depend entirely on this river.

Tanzania does not share the Nile directly. It is found in the Lake Nile Lake subregion of Lake Victoria, in the area covering the surface of Lake Victoria and in the watersheds of all its tributaries, according to the Nile Basin Water Resources Atlas.

"Although the Nile basin covers only about 13% of the national area, the basin borders Lake Victoria, offering many opportunities and affecting the entire economy of the country," according to the Nile Basin. 19659002] Three countries: Kenya (6%), Tanzania (51%) and Uganda (43%) share the coastline and six countries share the basin: Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda .

The areas of Kigoma, Kagera, Mwanza and the southwestern Tanzanian watershed (Katavi, Rukwa, Songwe and Mbeya areas) are some of the areas of the Nile Basin. The main rivers of this region are: Ruvubhu, Moyovozi, Rusumo, Kagera and many other rivers that flow into Lake Victoria.

Several other rivers in this area are found in the Rukwa Lake basin. They include: Malagarasi, Chala, Ugala, Songwe and Katuma with all the Rukwa Valley, Nyasa and Tanganyika and others from the countries of Burundi, Zambia and the DRC. Among these rivers and lakes, this region of Tanzania continued to suffer from water shortages. This occurs when climate change causes some water courses and rivers to dry up.

Recent studies have indicated that the depths of Lake Rukwa and Lake Tanganyika have also decreased due to the effects of global warming.

The other example is the Katuma River in the Katavi region that flows into Lake Rukwa. the region whose existence is threatened by climate change and human activities such as the extraction of water for agricultural purposes, deforestation and overfishing.

The Katuma River faces many challenges, "says Yusta Nkana, chair of the Katuma Village Committee.

She says some of these challenges include adverse effects such as "livestock that often has free access to its water that affects water quality and causes soil erosion and poor methods that make the river silted up ".

To solve these problems, John Anthonyo, a retired Colonel of the Tanzanian People's Defense Force and a resident of Nkasi District, Rukwa, calls for far-reaching environmental education.

"There is no doubt that environmental education must be involved in the protection and maintenance of their environment. "

He insists that the users of the environment should at the same time be its managers." Similarly, the engineer Florence Mahay, coordinator of water for the basin Rukwa Hydrographic, underlines the need to rethink efforts to protect water resources of the region.

He cites the creation of wateringues as a measure of protection of the water mbades and coordinate the users of the water resources. water from these organisms.

"But the creation of environmental management and water management councils in Tanzania can only be productive if the councils created perform their tasks and remain practical",

The Tanzanian government is not alone in this area, and several international agencies help to develop and promote cutting-edge conservation models. is the German Development Agency (GIZ).

Daniel Daeschle, a GIZ consultant for the development of the Rukwa Lake Basin Project, argues that GIZ supports efforts to provide environmental education through community radio stations available in the region. It also calls for active citizen participation. l & # 39; environment.

This article was made possible by InfoNile and Code for Africa

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