Rwanda: Prepare Adequately for the Rainy Season

After a prolonged spell of water shortage partly blamed on the dry season, the rainy season has set in. According to Rwanda Meteorology Agency, the onset of rainfall in August will mark the end of the dry season.

Although the forecast has ruled out the likelihood of heavy floods usually associated with the rainy season, people living in high risk areas should not take chances. They should relocate to secure areas immediately. The period will experience near-normal or slightly above normal rainfall generally across the country. However, it may not be a guarantee that the rains wont at one point cause heavy flooding.

The weather forecast may not be 100 per cent accurate. In the previous rainy season, floods destroyed houses and property while some people also died. We don’t want a repeat of the same scenario in the coming days.

But the rains are also good news especially to farmers. As the common adage goes, water is life. The rainy season should be used as an opportunity to venture into rain water harvesting, especially upcountry and in areas prone to water shortage. In the last few weeks Kigali has been hit by shortage of water which EWSA has attributed to the dry season.

Every household should be encouraged to have a water storage facility to tap rain water. This will go a long away in checking water shortage. Farmers should prepare their land before higher rains expected September to December. This calls for sensitisation by the local leaders and the concerned line ministries.