Experts raise red flags over Kagera basin

Environmental experts and senior officials have warned that the Kagera Basin is faced with a serious threat of environmental degradation, and stressed the need for a sustainable approach to address the challenge.The Kagera Basin lies within the four countries of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.They made the observation at a regional forum in Kigali organised by Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the Eastern Africa and Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) last week.GWP is an international network created to foster an integrated approach to water resources management. The forum aimed at enhancing trans-boundary river basin management and climate change adaptation.The Executive Secretary of LVBC, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, said the region had laid strategies to ensure that the effects of climate change and depletion of water bodies within the basin are addressed.Kanangire called for concerted efforts to conserve and protect water catchment areas within the Lake Victoria basin, including Kagera river basin. Patrick Safari, the regional coordinator of GWP Eastern Africa, said the basin is characterised by peasant agriculture, severe land degradation and primitive farming methods.Safari urged stronger partnerships among stakeholders to address environment challenges within the basin.

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Experts raise red flags over Kagera basin