Safeguarding our environment is a duty

Editor, RE: “Are our environment watchdogs doing enough?” (The New Times, December 26). If we put our efforts together we can overcome this challenge. I think environment stakeholders (especially Ministry of Natural Resources and REMA) are doing their best to raise awareness about this issue but our agricultural and mining practices continue to pose a serious threat to environment. In addition, Nyabarongo catchment is very huge; it is around 80 per cent-85 per cent of the whole country. You have to add the nature of our land: hilly country (thousand hills). For a practical example, you can visit Lake Karago and you will witness the improvement done there because, in 2010, the lake was completely gone, now the lake is restored. But its catchment is small compared to Nyabarongo. I do not know when and where the photo used along with the story in question (Govt, private sector pledge to conserve R. Nyabarongo – December 24) was taken because, REMA, in collaboration with its stakeholders including local government, has started planting bamboos on Nyabarongo River banks. You can see them even at Gitikinyoni and, apparently, they are planning to plant them from upstream to downstream, including along the river’s tributaries. The most important thing is to keep the 10m-radius from human activities, especially agriculture, as a buffer. Nature is good, we will see improvement soon. Saro

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Safeguarding our environment is a duty