BUJUMBURA March 23rd (ABP) – The chairman of PARCEM: word and action for awakening consciousness and changing mentalities, held a press conference on March 22nd in Bujumbura on International Water Day celebrated every year as of March 22nd.
Mr. Faustin Ndikumana said that Burundi is full of waters, and this is a potential source of wealth for the economic development of the country and the State must use it properly for the welfare of the citizens. This water, which, according to him, occupies 10% of the national territory, if it were well maintained and well managed, could give a hydro-electric reserve with a capacity of 1,700 MW, which would be beneficial for Burundi in different sectors of national life, among other things, in agriculture for the irrigation of arable land during times of drought, in sanitation, to reduce diseases from dirty hands, in tourism as waterfalls that attract tourists who in turn bring in the currencies in the country, and in the field of electricity in the construction of hydroelectric dams …
According to Ndikumana, deforestation in Burundi has a high speed and erosion makes more than 100 tons of good soil per year and if nothing is done, in 20 years the soil will be almost naked. He considers that the lack of implementation of the water code at the level of the Ministry of the Environment has resulted in the non-development of this sector. This is among others the authorization to illegally build in protected areas such as no man’s lands of 150 m from the lake, in the green areas and others.
