In preparation of World Water Day, which was marked last month, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) undertook a trip to review the achievements of the "Decentralization and Environment Management Project (DEMP)” which was implemented by the Government of Rwanda  ever since  2008 and was financially backed by UNDP.

The project’s main goal is the rehabilitation of fragile ecosystems such as lakes and rivers. The project was initially implemented in the Lake Kivu area and Muhazi, but since its implementation, it has proved to be a success, as it helped Lake Muhazi and manmade Lake Mutuku to regain their original water levels.

The project was in two phases. The first phase included the protection of river banks, which was characterized by claiming fifty metres of land surrounding water bodies as belonging to the government as per the implementation of the national and international environmental law (particularly, articles 85- 87 of the Organic Law on Environment).

This phase took place in seven districts of the Western Province, four districts of the Eastern Province, one district in Kigali City, and two districts of the Northern Province.

A big aspect of protecting these lakeshores included displacement and relocation of people living within a range of 50 meters of lakes.

In general, about Rwf 1billion has been or is expected to be spent on community projects that directly impact the environment and livelihoods, compared to about Rwf400 million for technical studies and 300 million on mobilization.

The lake Mutuku project was undertaken by REMA and district authorities of Gasabo District in collaboration with co-operatives made up of farmers in Rusororo at the outskirts of Kigali City.

"This place was horrible whenever it rained. There was so much rain coming down from the hills above us and at times, due to erosion, landslides occurred,” said Mpendwanzi Protais, a resident of Rusororo and president of one of the co-operatives that operate in the area.

Abadasiganwa Co-operative which he heads has spearheaded the construction of terraces which capture rain water as it runs down the slopes and redirect them to dams which then channel the water into the static water body.

At Lake Muhazi however, the problem was the misuse of water as well as its shores.

"People used to use the water like their personal toilets. It was not rare to find stool in the water we were going to use as drinking water,” said Bazivugiki Divine, a resident of Mpugwe in Rwamagana District where the lake reaches.

For Emmanuel Rwakayigamba, the District Environment Official in Rwamagana, telling people like Bazivugiki to evacuate from 50 meters of the lake was the hardest thing they had ever undertaken.

"They thought the government was trying to cheat them out of their ancestral land. However, we were patient. We kept sensitizing them about the importance of retaining lake shores,” he said.

The official said that the district used local co-operatives, including the de-mobilized soldiers co-operative to help build trenches where rain water met lake water. They also planted reeds and trees to break the force of the water as it came speeding down the hill after heavy rains.

The project saw the construction of boreholes to help residents get clean water from the lake without having to share it with animals. Restrictions were also put in place to curb the misuse of lakeshores.

However, the project has a couple of shortcomings. 

"We do not have the money for constant renovation of the trenches we build. When the boreholes get clogged because of mud, we do not have a handy plumber to work on it,” Rwakayigamba said.

This leads to the conclusion that despite measures put in place to control environmental degradation, DEMP is still overridden by challenges.

"We know that and we can assure you that we are far from done” Charles Sindayigaya, the monitoring and evaluation officer of DEMP said. 

"Phase 3 will be put in place once we are sure that phase 2 has been completed.”