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- Pollution of the Rwizi River in Uganda
Pollution of the Rwizi River in Uganda
Uganda
last update:
2 months agoProblems
Causes of pollution of the Rwizi River
The Rwizi River in western Uganda, with various tributaries crisscrossing different districts, pours its water into Lake Victoria, Africa's largest freshwater lake. 20 years ago, it was hard to cross the river because of the huge volume of water, but today, the water has been significantly reduced. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said about 60% of Rwizi River catchment has been degraded, resulting in reduced water volumes. Encroachment on wetlands and runoff from degraded hills due to poor agricultural practices have accelerated disposal of soil into the river, leading to silting up and reduced water volume. A report by NEMA found that farming, bricklaying, open defecation and littering along Rwizi's banks have extensively polluted the river and caused clogging. The biggest polluters include major industries, hotels and higher institutions of learning based in city Mbarara, which pollute it with pesticides and agricultural wastes from farmers, industrial wastes from Coca-Cola, Nile breweries, waste products from the iron and steel industries and waste from Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, among others.
Plastic waste chokes River Rwizi
River Rwizi originates from the Buhweju hills. It is a major source of water for the inhabitants of Mbarara Municipality and surrounding environment. This major water source, however, has been heavily polluted by the empty plastic bottles that cover the surface of water in Buremba village, Mbarara city North. Century Bottling Company, the manufacturers and distributors of Coca Cola products in Uganda, have two plants (Namanve in Kampala and Mbarara) Louis Mugisha. A team leader for Lake Victoria Water Management Zone, observed that the plastic bottles carelessly dumped on the river banks end up into the river during heavy rains. The problems of the Rvizi River were landfall sewage, but plastic bottles also got on board.
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2021
The future of River Rwizi has been stabbed by plastic bottles pollution released by factories producing drinks in Mbarara City. Plastic bottles carelessly thrown on the river bank formed a heap and attracted attention. Ruizi River has been heavily polluted by the empty plastic bottles that cover the surface of water in Buremba village, Mbarara city North.
2020
In recent years, River Rwizi has featured prominently in the news as a river on the brink of extinction thanks to climate change, human encroachment and unsustainable economics. The rapid population growth in the Mbarara district, as well as plans to upgrade it into a ‘city status’ in 2020, have significantly increased pollution and untreated effluent discharge into the river, while increased demand for water is causing the river to dry up. Finally, poor land management on the rivers banks has degraded its catchment area, making droughts and floods more likely.
2019
In study, spatial variation of water quality in River Rwizi section within Mbarara Municipality was determined using cluster analysis. Laboratory analysis was conducted on water samples from five sites along the river section using standard methods for: pH, EC, TSS, TDS, turbidity, temperature, total hardness, alkalinity, salinity, colour, NH3-N, SO2-4, BOD, COD, DO, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn. Cluster analysis grouped the study sites into slight pollution (Spencon, GBK), moderate pollution (Katete) and high pollution (BSU, Kakoba) for dry season. For rain season, order was: slight pollution (BSU, Spencon), moderate pollution (GBK) and high pollution (Kakoba, Katete), basing on similarity of water quality variables. These results show that water pollution resulted primarily from domestic waste water, agricultural runoff and industrial effluents. Thus, water from River Rwizi is not suitable for drinking in both dry and wet seasons.