Nyabarongo River: from an ‘erosion’ to power engine

WESTERN PROVINCE NGORORERO — Excitement engulfed Ndaro Sector residents in Ngororero District on a typical African misty morning. This was after receiving the news that the government is set to transform River Nyabarongo from a soil erosion agent to one of the biggest power producers in the country. Residents watched in delight when two ministers Eng. Albert Butare in charge of energy and Stanislas Kamanzi in charge of natural resources jointly participated in laying a foundation stone for the hydro-power project with a capacity of producing 27.5MW of power the single largest power project so far. One of the residents expressed satisfaction on the government’s move to deliver the residents from darkness through the project which will ensure rural electrification in the district. ‘This River has been there for decades and decades. It has been prominently known for causing soil erosion during heavy rainy seasons. It thus comes as a surprise that our government has decided to better utilize the river to generate epower’, remarked 72- year old Calixte Munyarubuga who has lived in Ndaro sector for twenty years ago. ‘Generally, Hydro power supply in Nyabarongo was not taken as a priority for the previous regimes. But what this current government of National Unity has done to us is beyond surprise’, says Munyarubuga. He claims to know the source of this scenic meandering river. He says the river could be traced from three separate small rivers namely Mbirurume, Rukarara and Mwogo in Southern Province. The plant’s foundation stone was laid at Bijyojyo hill, one of the many steep undulating slopes along River Nyabarongo in Ndaro sector. Eng. Albert Butare told residents that the new energy plant was one of the solutions crafted by the government to help the country to achieve the vision 2020. ‘This day’s crowd at the banks of river Nyabarongo should know that vision 2020 is not a mere dream’, he said. He was positive that the country’s energy shortages will be a thing of the past in the near future. Butare explained that upon the project completion which is slated to have been done in about 45 months’ time, the Nyabarongo plant will be the largest domestic hydropower plant in the country, producing almost half the power currently being utilized within the local economy. According to John Mirenge, the Managing Director of Electrogaz, a public utility in charge of Water and Electricity,the agency produces 60 - 70 MW during the peak period. He said the 27.5 MW increment would boost production capacity thereby helping electric power dynamics by reducing the cost of power to the consumers. The current project’s construction cost of USD 99.7million has been partly financed by India’s Exim Bank in a USD 80 million line of credit to be refunded in 20 years. Eng. Butare requested the locals to take good care of the dam, upon its completion, as it had a huge potential of improving their livelihoods in a variety of ways. Ends