Celebration of the World Water Day, 2012 Edition

On 22nd March 2012, Burundi celebrated the World Water Day under the theme “Water in sufficient quality and quantity: source of life”. Related ceremonies took place in Kirundo Province, Busoni commune, in the zone of Gisenyi at Rwibikara, near Lake Cohoha.

In fact, according to specialists in the area and the administrative authorities in the commune, more than 40% of the Busoni population use water fetched from the lakes Cohoha, Rwero and Gacamirindi which are found in the north of the commune. In his speech to the population in the area, in the presence of the ministers in charge of water and home affairs, the first secretary at the German Embassy in Burundi, M. Mickael Bartholomei, reminded that water and sanitation remain the priority pole of German cooperation in Burundi. During his visit in Burundi in December 2011, the German federal Minister, M. Niebel, guaranteed reservation of funds for the next period. This is about the financial cooperation whose amount is €15 million while the total for technical cooperation is € 5.5 million distributed between the sectoral programme Potable Water and Sanitation with € 4 million and management and protection of groundwater resource has a budget of € 1.5 million.

About the Province of Kirundo facing the shortage of potable water, the first secretary at the German Embassy in Burundi acknowledged the actions conducted by the German action in the areas of water and sanitation, while recalling the KFW investments in constructing latrines and sinking. He expressed his wish to see the Government of Burundi and the technical and financial partners progressing together through a strong partnership, to take commitment to a coordinated and sustainable development of the water and sanitation areas.

About activities accomplished during the celebration on the World Water Day, the ministers of Environment and Home Affairs, the Governor of Kirundo, the first secretary at the German Embassy in Burundi planted “grevilea” trees on Cohoha shores at Rwibikara area for protecting cultivable lands as it is known that grevilea is well associated with crops. It should be mentioned that at global level, this Day was celebrated under the theme “Water and food security”. The Lake Tanganyika Authority has been represented by Director of Environment