Are our environment watchdogs doing enough?

Editor, RE: “Govt, private sector pledge to conserve Nyabarongo River” (The New Times, December 24). The state of Nyabarongo River today shows a complete failure of both the Ministry of Natural Resources, and Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) on this environmental front. Officials continue to tell us how the plastic bags were successfully banned some 10 years ago, yet tonnes of fertile soil is being carried away to Alexandria shores in Egypt while it consistently reports around 50% malnourished and stunted kids in most of the districts. I note that, by calling in the military and the police forces, it is an acknowledgement by the minister of lack of any thought out and sound strategy to not only clean Nyabarongo and most of the other rivers, but also curb extensive and serious soil erosion/degradation which is easily noticed in almost every part of the Rwandan territory. What legacy shall we leave to our offshoots? A dilapidated and polluted land, or a clean environment where they could strive for millennial? Lest they become a wandering diaspora sending remittance to a nonexistent motherland. The choice is ours and that is today! Mary Kayisinga ********************** Echoing Kayisinga’s point of view, I don’t recall seeing in the past 30 years Nyabarongo waters being limpid and clean. It amazes anyone how a society can altogether ignore an impending crisis for so long. Year round, I have the chances to criss-cross the entire Rwanda, it strikes me to see how much agricultural land, in quality and quantity, is taken away by erosion through the rivers network in Rwanda, yet we are told that the national economy largely depends on agriculture. Seminega

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Are our environment watchdogs doing enough?