Why engaging communities is crucial in water projects

Kagera. Kagera is among the remaining regions in the country that preserve water resources through the use of indigenous knowledge, norms and traditions.

The preservation could be found in Karagwe District, where the elders provide indigenous knowledge to the youth regarding conservation of water resources and the environment.

Speaking to The Citizen during a recent tour of the district, Dr Godfrey Aligawesa, a traditional leaders from the Nyambo tribe, said the tribe has specific customs and norms that assist them in preventing environmental degradation.

He said the tribes’ specific customs and norms impose punishment to anyone found guilty of destroying water sources.

“Specific norms and customs prohibit children from playing on water bodies. Those defying the directives receive hefty punishment including whipping ranging from two to ten strokes of the cane. Whipping would be applied to anybody regardless of the offender’s age,” he said.

Dr Aligawesa said specific customs and norms prohibit tribe members from cultivating near water sources, tree felling, laundry and washing utensils close to springs, lakes and rivers.

But, water and environment experts say that climate change has led to irregular rainfall patterns in Kagera Region something leading to negative impact on the agriculture sector.

Karagwe District Commissioner Julieth Binyura said the trend has led to encroachment on water catchment areas, noting that the district leadership is scaling up community sensitization on the importance of protecting water sources.

“We are all aware that agriculture involves tree felling and the removal of natural vegetation cover including surrounding water sources. However, district authority has been ensuring that farming is undertaken according to existing water management systems,” she says.

“The community is urged to continue conserving water sources according to the guidance of elders, traditional leaders and experts. This is the only way that will guarantee us with enough and clean water for agriculture and domestic purposes,” adds the DC, who doubles as the chairperson of defence and security committee in the district.

Residents of Karagwe District use water from different sources including surface from shallow wells, streams, rivers, lakes, springs as well as underground waters from the boreholes.

The Rural Water and Sanitation Authority manager for Ngara District which is also part of Kagera Basin, Mr Simon Ndyamkama highlights the significance of community engagement in water sources conservation through different ways.

“Conservation measures could be undertaken differently through traditional leaders, bylaws imposition and enforcement of enacted laws by the central government for surface and underground water conservation,” he said.

But, Mr Andrew Athanasio, who is the environment department head in Ngara District Council seconded Mr Ndyamkama community members’ involvement in the knowledge of norms and traditions would stimulate afforestation.

“We are located at a geographically mountainous area that has massive underground water sources. In the ongoing initiative to conserve natural vegetation cover, citizens have been told to preserve the environment and underground resources,” he says.

However, in 2020, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) executive director, Prof Seifeldin Adalla and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative for Uganda, Ms Elsie Attafuah, recently signed a $5.3 million five-year groundwater project document.

The project, whose implementation commenced on June 1, 2020, aimed at improving community understanding on available groundwater resources and demonstrate how to optimise the joint use of surface and ground waters.

The interaction between groundwater and surface water systems (rivers, wetlands, lakes) has not been adequately considered in most trans boundary river basin management initiatives, including the Nile Basin.

The most pressing driver of heightened interest around groundwater in the Nile Basin is the growing imbalance between water demand and supply.

 This article was supported by InfoNile with funding from the Nile Basin Initiative.