BUJUMBURA January 24th (ABP) – The Gasenyi River is close to the Ntare Rushatsi House and separates Gatunguru, Gahahe, Gasenyi villages (Mutimbuzi commune of Bujumbura province) and Carama quarter in Bujumbura City. People living near that river say they are threatened because it has not been channeled upstream of the RN1 and that even the pipes downstream have been knocked down and washed away by rainwater from the mountains, a check by ABP got informed on Monday January 23, 2023 after a visit to the banks of that river.
People met on the site thank God for the absence of floods during the months of November and December 2022, as was the case in past years. Despite this, those local residents still live with fear following the threat it poses to them. Those residents of northern Bujumbura explained that although this river was channeled in 2018 downstream, the pipes were destroyed and washed away by rainwater, explaining that the pipe works should start upstream of the RN1 because, this is the main source of the damage observed, in particular objects of all sizes such as stones, sand, gravel and others, destroying the pipes built downstream.
One of the leaders of the sub-villages of the Gasenyi village, Mr. Caleb Nibaruta, explained to the check by ABP that those who did the pipes already destroyed, did not take into consideration the quantity and the force of the water which crosses that river, because the water coming from the mountains comes in great speed and in great quantity whereas the height of the river is not sufficient compared to water which crosses it. Mr. Nibaruta also proposes the construction of a large basin upstream of the RN1, which will accommodate all the objects coming from the mountain, namely stones, gravel, sand, trees and others and that only the waters can carry on.
As the months of February, March and April are characterized by heavy rain, the inhabitants living near the Gasenyi River request that this river be quickly channeled upstream and downstream to protect them. “If it rains during the night, we wake up to watch if the waters of this river do not come to wash us away. We are not calm in the face of this situation”, underlined Mrs. Sibomana Violette, who also specifies that the only way of protection they have is the extractors of building materials from the mountains, which, instead of being a threat to that river, clean out those materials which block the river so that the water can flow in its bed. However, those inhabitants remain hopeful, because in the past year, the minister in charge of infrastructure paid a visit to that river and promised them that it will be channeled as soon as possible.