Akanyaru River

Akanyaru River: The Nyabarongo River’s principal tributary is the Akanyaru River. It springs in Burundi’s western highlands and travels east and north along Burundi’s border with Rwanda until joining the Nyabarongo River in the Bugesera area of Rwanda. This joins the Akagera River, which flows toward Uganda‘s Victoria Lake and the source of the River Nile.

There are significant, albeit unprotected, wetlands in the lower portions of the Akanyaru River that are beneficial to human activity.

Course

A significant headwater in Burundi, the Mugere River rises to a height of 2,450 meters. The river originates in the south of Rwanda, at a height of roughly 2,300 meters. Papyrus covers much of the basins of the higher streams and has forests of seasonal swamps. The river’s upstream section has a catchment area of roughly 2,650 km2.

The river’s lower course terminates at the Nyabarongo River, where it forms a belt of permanent wetlands that is roughly 7 km wide.

Over this 80-kilometer section, the river descends from 1,465 meters to 1,400 meters. Lake Cyohoha north and Lake Cyohoha south feed the swamp belt from the right. Along a 63-kilometer stretch of the River, the Burundian side of the swamp belt features around 14600ha of permanent swamp. The swamp extends 6 to 10 kilometers up valleys of tributaries.

Temperature

The average yearly rainfall in the upstream portion of the river basin is approximately 1200 mm, whereas the average rainfall in the marshes is approximately 800 mm. There are two rainy seasons in Rwanda: the first runs from March to May, and the second from mid-September to mid-December.

Animals

One of the seven primary important birding areas (IBAs) is the Akanyaru wetland. Approximately 54 species have been documented there, including some threatened ones like the papyrus gonolek, papyrus yellow warbler, great snipe, and others.

Human endeavors

Due to the lack of protection for the wetlands, the locals use the area for agriculture. During the dry season, they mostly harvest and burn the marsh plants to increase fertility. Rice, sugarcane, maize, and sweet potato plantations are the principal uses of the wetlands and swamps. In addition to agriculture, the locals fish in the rivers and swamps.

Locals are building bricks near the confluence of the Akanyaru and Nyabarongo rivers, an activity that is gradually destroying the surrounding ecosystem.