World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has handed over equipment aimed at supporting the restoration process of River Nyamwamba in Kasese District. More than 30 billion shillings has been invested in these projects.
The River has over the years flooded leading to loss of lives and destruction of property. Some of the worst incidents were witnessed in in 2013 and 2020. Unsustainable human practices have partly been blamed for destroying the River’s Banks.
The government of Uganda through the Minister of Water and Environment secured funding from the World Bank to implement integrated water management and development project activities in different water management zones.
Works on the Nyamwmaba stretch began in 2022.
WWF-Uganda, Natural Resource Defence Initiative-NDRI, and Integrated Farmers Association-MIFA were then contracted to among others raise community awareness on environment conservation, conduct river bank stabilization, install early warning systems, and support the livelihood of communities along the Nyamwmaba catchment area. Interventions to improve livelihoods are meant to diminish pressure on the river catchment area.
WWF-Uganda has provided a coffee processing unit in Kyanjuki, supported coffee demonstration gardens, community tourism sites in Rukoki and Kilembe Sub counties among others.
Ivan Tumuhimbise, the WWF-Uganda, country Director aid there is still a need to roll out mass campaigns to cover all the bare hills in the Rwenzori and encourage communities to voluntarily conserve the environment.
He said they are committed to working with government and other partners in restoring the environment in the region and across the country.
Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, commissioner for Water Resources Planning and Regulation in the Ministry of Water and Environment commended the level of expertise that WWF and its partners have demonstrated in the design and implementation of the interventions that are set to provide lasting solutions to the climate change issues but most importantly improve the community livelihoods.
He added that they are looking for more sources to undertake a full-scale study on the long term interventions to mitigate flooding and restoration of Nyamwmaba catchment area.
The state Minister for water, Aisha Sekindi said the ministry is committed to working with all partners including cultural institutions towards mitigating climate change and its effects.
The minister however asked partners to ensure the community is always part and partial in designing, implementing, and sustaining any interventions to create a sense of ownership.
The Kasese district LCV Eliphazi Muhindi applauded the government and partners for the developments and called on the community along the Nyamwamba catchment area to utilize the parish development model-PDM to boast their coffee production.
He said the political leadership is determined to oversee the proper utilization of the put up projects.
Muhindo Lhunzi Nzanzo, the chairperson of, Kyanjuki Ward Coffee Model Farmers Cooperative Society said people were putting pressure on the river to extract sand and practice agriculture because they lacked alternative sources of income.
He is optimistic that with awareness, people are voluntarily beginning to participate in environment conservation.
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