BUJUMBURA, July 2nd (ABP) – The Director General of the Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation, Christian Nimubona, accompanied by local government officials, visited the Buyenzi area of Bujumbura City Hall on Thursday 27 June to show them the extent of pollution of the water that flows through the city of Bujumbura and into Lake Tanganyika.
According to Mr Nimubona, if Lake Tanganyika is polluted, the people and creatures living in the lake can be contaminated. According to him, people should stop dumping sewage into the canals and rivers that flow into Lake Tanganyika. They noted that in various places they visited, sewage was stagnating in the canals that carry plastic and other waste into Lake Tanganyika, endangering the biodiversity and water of Lake Tanganyika, which is consumed by the population of the city of Bujumbura.
By way of example, Mr Nimubona pointed out that fishing in Lake Tanganyika provides fish, and that if the lake continues to be polluted, there is a risk that contaminated fish will be caught, posing a threat to human health.
With regard to the measures to be taken, Mr Nimubona pointed out that Article 142 of the Water Code stipulates that any person found guilty of introducing into the water any substance likely to be harmful to the health of surface and underground waters shall be liable to a fine of between 50,000 and 800,000 BIF.
Mr. Nimubona added that in other districts of Bujumbura, the dumping of sewage in canals or waste in the waters that flow through the city of Bujumbura is remarkable. To this end, he announced that these visits to the city’s neighbourhoods would continue in order to raise awareness among the population of the need to avoid dumping wastewater in canals in order to protect the environment and human health.
He also took the opportunity to officially hand over the Water Code to the Buyenzi Zone Chief so that he can use it to raise public awareness of the dangers of polluting Lake Tanganyika’s waters.
The Buyenzi Zone Chief, Sefu Niyonkuru, welcomed these activities organised with the aim of cleaning up the city of Bujumbura and protecting the environment. He noted that this code will enable them to explain to the population that anyone who causes water pollution will be punished by this code.