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People of Ruyigi commune are called for the prevention of bushfires

ByWebmaster

Jun 2, 2022

RUYIGI June 2nd (ABP) – The platform of Ruyigi commune and province (East of Burundi) in risk prevention and disaster management, calls on the people from that commune to already tackle the work to protect against bushfires on the Mpungwe mountain range from early the summer period.

They were also called upon to avoid irresponsible behavior linked to the debauchery that sometimes manifests itself during the summer period and to partake in the protection of public lands. That appeal was made by the administrator of Ruyigi, Mrs. Antoinette Semugara, and reiterated by Gaspard Gateretse of the Burundi Environmental Protection Authority (OBPE) in Ruyigi, on Monday May 30, when the platform met to study the risk priorities, and the ways and means to prevent them from occurring during the coming summer period.

During the meeting, the greatest risk identified as the greatest danger facing Ruyigi commune turned out to be the bushfires that sometimes occur on the Mpungwe mountain range. These fires, which spread quickly and cause severe damage, are due to small and sometimes minimal errors, as indicated by some grassroots administrative officials.

They give the example of a simple unextinguished cigarette thrown into the bush or a farmer who practices slash and burn cultivation and causes all this damage whereas he/she had no intention of doing so. Those administrative officials ask the people to join forces to contribute in the fight against the destroyers of the environment.

On the side of the OBPE, Gaspard Gateretse lists the different origins commonly known as being the most frequent in the field of environmental protection.

He stresses the need to avoid burning to seek pasture, throwing away unextinguished cigarettes, the practice of traditional slash and burn cultivation, collecting honey using fire for beekeepers, to name but a few. He also pointed out that it is strictly forbidden to set fires in open spaces with dry grass. He also warns that there is no tolerance for arsonists and no one is supposed to ignore it.

The administrator of Ruyigi Antoinette Semugara indicates that the bushfires have significantly decreased in her commune. She adds that her ultimate goal is for there to be no bushfires in her commune for this year and for the bushfires to disappear completely in that commune. She gives direction to the administrative officials and the people, stressing that from now on, they are given a 30-day period for the drawing of the firebreaks and the clearing of weeds to be completed.

She persists and stresses that henceforth the misconduct due to the excess of joy coming from the summer production will never again be tolerated. She insists on the debauchery that manifests itself during the summer period that sanctions are already provided for such behavior. She asks administrative officials to send her lists of perpetrators so that they be brought to justice.

The entire population of Ruyigi is called upon to preserve and sustain the geo-environmental integrity of the Mpungwe mountain range which overlooks the town of Ruyigi, which was once infamous for repetitive bushfires, and is today now covered with trees and greenery thanks to the Ewe Burundi Urambaye campaign.