Illegal activities eating away River Nile

In the parts where fishing is allowed, water hyacinth is taking over and spreading to parts of the river with rare insects. Photo Francis Mugerwa

What you need to know:

River Nile is one of Uganda’s most popular sites for tourists. However, the waters and wildlife that make it so attractive are in trouble because of the activities taking place especially on the banks. We explore some of these activities and what measures are in place to preserve the river

Peter Ojara weeds his vegetable garden on the banks of River Nile in Mubaku village in Nguedo Sub-county.

The 48-year-old peasant farmer in Buliisa District is pleased with the yields he obtains from the one-acre garden of tomatoes and cabbages.

“I get food and some income to look after my family from this garden,” he says with a smile.
What he is not aware of, however, is that he is degrading the river.

“I do not know that this is a protected area. I have never seen any government official telling me to vacate this area,”Ojara who confesses growing crops on the river banks every season says.

Ojara is among the several residents of Buliisa District who have encroached on the banks of the world’s longest river which provides a main livelihood to millions of people in Uganda and the other 10 countries along the Nile course.

The Nile is one of the world’s longest rivers, traversing 6,695 kilometres as it journeys from its farthest source at the headwaters of the Kagera Basin to its delta in Egypt. The river which flows through the Murchison Falls National Park also divides Buliisa and Nwoya districts.

River Nile is one of the tourist attractions to Uganda and provides a habitat for various plants, wild animals and birds, especially around the Nile Delta, which has been gazetted as a Ramsar site.

Ramsar sites are wetlands which have been recognised for their “fundamental ecological functions and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational values”, as the 1971 Ramsar Convention states. The delta is one of the 17 locations along the River Nile Basin that have been designated as international Ramsar sites.

“It is, however, unfortunate that some residents encroach on the river and poach on endemic fish, birds and animal species” the acting Buliisa District natural resources officer, Benard Tugume, observes.

Besides growing crops on the river banks, some residents have cut down trees which were along the riverine forest, he adds.
He observes that there are also some who have set up temporary settlements adjacent to the river, contrary to the environmental laws and policies.

“Those who have planted crops on the banks of the river spray them and the pesticides kill some insects in the river,” the Buliisa District acting environment officer, Philip Ngongaha, says.

He said there are also some residents who use the water of the river to make bricks within the buffer area of the river.

All the different forms of encroachment are threatening the river, causing it to silt while also reducing water levels.

“Partly as a consequence of human activities, the area of forest in the Nile countries shrank by proportions ranging from 4 to 39 per cent between 1990 and 2008,” the report reads in part.

According to the United Nations Population Division (medium variant projection), the total population in the 11 Nile Basin countries will reach 647 million by 2030, which represents an increase of 52 per cent from the Population in 2010.

WHAT MAKES THE RIVER VULNERABLE
The 2012 State of the Nile Basin report indicates that communities in the Nile Basin are heavily dependent on exploitation of environmental resources for their livelihoods and general wellbeing.

In Buliisa District, the river meanders through Nguedo and Wanseko sub counties until it joins Lake Albert to form the Albert-Nile. Albert Nile, also called Mobutu Nile starts from the north end of Lake Albert, just north of the mouth of the Victoria Nile.

It flows 130 miles north past Pakwach to the South Sudanese border at Nimule, where it becomes the Al-Jabal River, or Mountain Nile. It is estimated that just over half of the people in this area will be living within the basin boundaries in the next 10 years.

Much as the river is a protected area, this has not prevented residents from illegally fishing on it.

“Many fishermen find it irresistible to illegally fish around the Nile Delta because it is a breeding ground for Alestes baromese locally known as ngara, which is a delicacy in the area,” Ngongaha observes.

The Nile is also a source of drinking water.
But it is not just human activities to blame for the degradation. Water hyacinth has also invaded the waters around the Albert-Nile, which is affecting the sailing of boats and suffocating aquatic life.

Oil exploration
Oil explorers have also conducted exploration and drilling near the Nile delta in Murchison Falls National Park.

“Yes Rii 2 oil well is located near the Nile Delta,” Total E& P Uganda’s public relations officer, Chris Ocowun replied via email when asked about the results of oil exploration activities around the delta.

Total E&P Uganda, one of the licensed oil firms has been operating in Uganda since February 2012. It has also conducted environmental and biodiversity baseline studies near the delta.

Despite conducting oil drilling activities in an ecologically fragile area, Total E& P says it is committed to the preservation and protection of wildlife, environment and biodiversity.

“We are working closely with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and other regulatory authorities in a long-term partnership to ensure compliance with Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs) prior to any activities,” Ocowun added.

The subsidiary of French oil firm, Total, says it has made a clear commitment to apply international good practices to the development of the oil resources as exemplified by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards.

The company has also developed a biodiversity charter which sets the guidelines for its operations to ensure protection of environment, wildlife and biodiversity.

“Baseline studies and detailed habitat mapping are defining the ecosystems for the first time and these are being carried out in collaboration with Uganda Wildlife Authority; this is complimented by species specific surveys of the endangered, vulnerable and endemic species,”Ocowun added, “The information obtained informs the required avoidance and mitigation measures that will be put in place to protect species and their ecosystems to ensure there is no net loss of critical habitat or endangered species.”

He also said the Buliisa District wetlands department has developed a management plan for the rivers and streams.

“We conduct sensitisation outreaches but we need funding to enable us implement the wetland management plan,” Ngongaha says on how the district is doing to mitigate degradation.

MEASURES IN PLACE
Since River Nile flows through the Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) says it ensures that only environmentally-friendly activities are undertaken on it.

“Tourists conduct boat rides from Paraa up to the bottom of the falls. The 21-kilometres boat ride takes about three hours,” UWA publicist Jossy Muhangi said.

As they conduct the ride, tourists get the opportunity to view various bird species and wild animals which are common on the banks of the river.

Tourists also hike from the bottom to the top of the falls. They also do sport fishing along the river in which they compete to catch fish, weigh the catch before releasing the fish back in the river.

However, some unscrupulous fishermen from communities living adjacent to the park stray into the park at night to fish illegally in the Nile’s waters.

“They come with canoes under the cover of darkness at the bottom of the falls where they expect huge catches,”Muhangi says.

Outside the national park, as the river flows towards the lake, Muhangi reveals that some community members lay snares to trap wild animals that come to drink water at the river.

“We, however, conduct patrols regularly to curb illegalities. We apprehend and prosecute suspects. We also destroy the canoes and illegal fishing gear we find them using” he says.

Given the multiple and complex development and environmental challenges facing the communities in the Nile Basin, the state of the River Nile basin report 2012 recommends countries in the Nile Basin pursue measures to mitigate impacts of climate change.

The report points out that this would also increase the level of virtual water and intra-basin trade in agricultural products, slow down and reverse environmental degradation, especially soil loss.

The report recommends collective political responsibility in the 11 states where River Nile passes to implement activities that will conserve it.

FACTS ABOUT RIVER NILE

• It is the longest river in the world. It is approximately 6,670 km long.
• The name of the river, Nile, is derived from the Greek word neilos which means “river”.
•There are two major branches of the Nile— the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile originates in East Africa, and the Blue Nile originates in Ethiopia. The two branches join at Khartoum, Sudan.
•The two major sources of the river are Lake Victoria which feeds the White Nile branch, and Lake Tana which feeds the Blue Nile branch.
•The river’s average discharge is approximately 300 million cubic metres per day.
• Ancient Egypt may have never become one of the greatest civilisations in history had it not been for the Nile. Ancient Egypt relied on agriculture for its wealth and power.
•There are nine countries the Nile and its tributaries flow through. These countries are Egypt, DR Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya.
•There are several major cities that are located along the edge of the Nile. These cities are Cairo, Thebes/Luxor, Khartoum, Gondokoro, Aswan, and Karnak.
•Numerous animals live in and around the river they include Nile crocodiles, Nile monitors, frogs, mongooses, turtles, tortoises, hippopotamus, wildebeest, baboons, and over 300 species of birds.
•Major dams built on the Nile include the Aswan High Dam, Roseires Dam, Nalubaale Dam, and Sennar Dam.
•The Nile basin, the land area drained by the river, is very large. It includes areas in Tanzania, DR Congo, Kenya, Burundi, and Rwanda.