22nd September 2022: The stakeholders, from the central and local governments as well as the private sector within Kivu and Akanyaru catchments, have assembled to discuss their management plans.

Catchment planning is the best practice for integrated management of water, land, and related natural resources, based on the hydrological boundaries of a catchment or watershed.

In his remarks, the Director General of the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), Dr. Emmanuel Rukundo, noted that through the implementation of RWB’s mandate, the catchment management plan is an important milestone for equipping Rwanda with comprehensive planning tools for water resources management.

“The main focus of catchment planning can be summarized in four key elements which are catchment restoration, water allocation, water governance and knowledge management,” he added.

Kivu catchment consists of small catchments that drain the western side of the water divide between the Nile and the Congo Basin, with a land area of 2,425 Km² within the country.

On the other hand, Akanyaru catchment is a transboundary catchment that springs in Nyungwe Forest. The catchment has 3,402 Km² of land area. Akanyaru River is the main river of the catchment contributing to a number of activities that benefit the communities of the catchment.