Page 26 - 扶輪月刊 2025年6月號

ɺႭj˜Ы޶வɺᘎελl™ ݺۜሯf™ of the Sebeya River’s water
݊஢εΪ෦Ԏԭئ͔ᏺϾ̰̘
௰ڐጅτ༺Г௅޲ٙ෦ ෦Ԏԭݴਹٙጅˋ؛ਜ ࢕෤ʿЪيٙɛʘɓfνʦઋ
Ԏԭئ (Sebeya River) ݴਹɓ (Rubavu) ֢͏༠࣭೙hጒ̔̋ رʊϞҷഛdμڌͪj˜Ңࡁ
“All you have to do
ධϙίછՓݳ˥ʿɺᘎڧ႙ٙ ෫ཤ(Jacqueline Mukagatare)d ତί̙˸ঁЪɺήdɰʔΎዄ
is look at the color
ࠇ೥dһආɓӉᗇ׼əவ၇ഄ
ଫٙϓ̌f෦ԎԭئЗ׵࡝؈ ˜Ы̥ࠅ޶޶෦Ԏԭئ˥ٙᕙЍdکٝ༸̴ʔΎ
ئݴਹٙɪದd௰୞ءɝɽГ Ѱ੭ԟჿε஗әՏٙإɺf™
Where terraces with reverse slopes
ݱf̴މߒ 286 ̻˙ʮԢٙਜ
have been constructed, the effects have
been dramatic. A 2012 study in north-
ਹ౤Զ৻ଋ˥๕e˥ɢ೯ཥe
ern Rwanda found that the speed of
water flowing downhill decreased from
ဝุʿᙺೀഃ༟๕f್Ͼdಌ
one hour before the terraces were con-
؍޾ͽeڢجમᘤഃБމிϓ
structed in 2007 to about seven hours
after they were made in 2008. The effect
຅ή৭࢟ٙʆսᘌࠠॎᕸfΪ
on soil quality is palpable on Nyamiron-
Ϥdዧडࠥڠኬߧݳ˥Ҟ஺ә
go’s terraces. “We’re able to grow a vari-
ety of crops throughout the year,” says
ՏϾɨdˏ೯ɺᘎڧ႙eݳ
Imanazabayo Innocent, another farmer
in the village, as he picks up some earth
˥dʿʆ੥f
in his hands. “See how good the soil is!”
2019 ϋdጅτ༺˥༟๕
A recent project to control floods and
soil erosion in the catchment area of the
၍ଣ҅ (Rwanda Water Board)e
Sebeya River in Rwanda’s Western prov-
਷ყІ್ڭԃᑌຑ (International
ince has provided further evidence of how
successful this strategy can be. The Sebeya
Union for Conservation of
River is upstream of the Congo River Basin,
which ultimately flows into the Atlantic
Nature)eڢִ݁ଡ଼ᔌeஃᚆ
Ocean. It provides clean water, hydropower,
fishing, and irrigation for an area of a
ɽԴ᎜€༟пྫМί෦Ԏԭbout
286 square kilometers in the province.
ݴਹٙ 4 ࡈਜਹ΍Ν઼ਗɓධ
However, deforestation, illegal mining, and
other activities have denuded the region’s
˥༟๕၍ଣࠇ೥f༈ࠇ೥ίئ
steep slopes. Consequently, intense rainfall
֦ضᇞഄଫ׌ήጳܔచԣeထ
causes water to flow down at speed, lead-
ing to soil erosion, flooding, and landslides.
ݳᜠdʿԣݳᐍdԨ྇͜຅ή
In 2019, the Rwanda Water Board, the
֢͏ܔி૒͞fࠇ೥ί 2023
International Union for Conservation
of Nature, nongovernmental organiza-
ϋҁϓࣛd΍ࡌጘ 1,500 ʮ௠
tions, and the Dutch Embassy, a donor
ٙอό૒͞ʿ 836 ʮ௠ٙနආ
partner, launched a water resources
management project in four districts in
ό૒͞dίޥઋಂගމٟਜ౤
the Sebeya catchment area. The project
strategically built a dike, retention dam,
Զəࠠࠅٙఱุዚึf੽ୋɓ
and flood retention walls along the river,
ϋৎdݳ˥ʿɺᘎڧ႙ٙઋر
and hired residents to build terraces. By
the time the effort ended in 2023, over
کʊ׼ᜑಯˇdЇʦՉϓࣖ
1,500 hectares of radical terraces and 836
hectares of progressive terraces had been
ೌੱໄဲfጅτ༺˥༟๕၍
built, providing the community with vital
ଣ҅೯ԊɛጒᔜॶhЬॶᅃ PHOTOGRAPH: GEETANJALI KRISHNA
jobs during the pandemic. This reduced
the flooding and resulting soil erosion
(Musana Bernard) ڌ ͪj˜ Ы
from the first year, and today, the impact
̥ࠅ޶޶෦Ԏԭئ˥ٙᕙЍd
is undeniable. “All you have to do is look
at the color of Sebeya’s water to know that PHOTOGRAPH: GEETANJALI KRISHNA
کٝ༸̴ʔΎѰ੭ԟჿε஗ә
it is no longer carrying so much eroded
soil,” Rwanda Water Board spokesperson ͌ˋߒh۞तႊਿ৵ॶ݊଺είอό૒͞ɪ၇ಔ৵ཕᑠٙጅτ༺༵͏ʘ
Տٙإɺf෦Ԏԭݴਹٙɺᘎ Zabayo Hategekimana is among farmers who harvest potatoes on radical terraces in Rwanda. “All the
Musana Bernard says. “Soil erosion has ɓf˼Ⴍj˜˸ۃהϞ٭Ӝٙɺᘎேึᎇഹڠ˥නഹʆսݴԐf2003 ϋ
good soil used to flow downhill with the rainwater,” he says. “When the government helped us dig these
ڧ႙ʊಯˇਗ਼ڐ 90%dவɰ terraces in 2003, this problem reduced, and our village is now one of the biggest cultivators in the area.”
been reduced by almost 90 percent in the
ִ݁ᏍҢࡁܱܔவԬ૒͞ܝdவࡈਪᕚɽɽಯˇdҢࡁӀ୿ତίϓމவ
౤ʺุ༵ପඎʿ຅ή֢͏ٙ͛ ɓ੭௰ɽ༵ٙঁਜʘɓf™
46 ROTARY JUNE 2025
24 臺灣扶輪 2025.6
jun25-D-RwandaFarming.indd 46 5/2/25 01:39