12th November 2022: The Director General of the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), Dr. Emmanuel Rukundo has made three-day field visits to all four districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro and Ngororero in Eastern Province to assess the implementation progress of the Embedding Water Resources Management in Rwanda (EWMR) – Sebeya Project.

Along with the technical team, he has met with district officials such as the Mayor of Nyabihu, Antoinette Mukandayisenga, Vice Mayors in Charge of Economic Development at Rubavu, Deogratias Nzabonimpa, Rutsiro, Etienne Havugimana, and Ngororero, Patrick Uwihoreye.

The purposes included discussions about possible strategies to be adopted in order to speed up the project implementation and set timelines for the completion of the designated activities.

Furtherly, the sustainability of the landscape restoration activities following the completion process.

PROJECT DETAILS

Sebeya Catchment is shared between Rubavu, Rutsiro, Nyabihu and Ngororero districts. It has an area of 336 kilometers and has been facing social and environmental challenges as it has some of the steepest slopes and highest mountains.

The Sebeya Catchment Plan found that around 18,000 hectares have been threatened by soil erosion.

To address these critical issues, with financial support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Rwanda, the Rwanda Water Resources Board in partnership with International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), and Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) are implementing the Embedding Water Resources Management in Rwanda (EWMR) project – Sebeya Project.

The project’s components include restoration of degraded lands in Sebeya and other catchments by radical and progressive terraces, agroforestry, afforestation, gullies rehabilitation, and river bank protection among other interventions; flood retention structures such as walls and dams to combat Sebeya river’s floods, development of innovative financing mechanisms and value chains for improved livelihoods through ecological and economic benefits and implementation of knowledge management systems for landscape restoration and integrated water resources management.

This project is being implemented by the community and landowners by using Village Land Use Action Plans (VLUAPs).

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