WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU — District authorities in Rubavu have warned that the district is in its final preparations to evict residents currently living on a long elevated Rubavu Hill.

Rubavu’s Vice Mayor-in-charge of Economic Development Evaliste Bizimana, while talking to reporters in Gisenyi town, said that the district will soon fulfill the eviction plan which had been delayed by difficulties in allocation of the evicted.

"We have finally allocated a place where the evicted residents will be taken because their occupancy and activities on the long elevated hill has affected the environment in the area” he explained.

Evaliste said that Gisenyi town was build beneath the elevated Rubavu hill and the eroded soils from the hill have in rainy seasons destroyed roads and merchandise in Gisenyi town. He said that trees will be planted on Rubavu hill after the eviction to prevent further environmental hazards.

"Loads of soils from Rubavu hill have in the past been eroded towards Gisenyi town, destroying roads and property. Experts and environmentalists who have visited the hill have strongly attributed agricultural activities on the hill as the source of the problem, they all said the hill is too elevated and to favor any agricultural activities” he said.

According to Rubavu district vice mayor in charge of the people’s welfare Jacqueline Bakunduseruye, residents should take the eviction not as a punishment but as away of protecting the environment.

"We are taking them to a distant place from Gisenyi town but which is agriculturally friendly” she said.

Although some of the residents are happy about the move some of them especially those that had small business in Gisenyi are not.

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