Mirayi lake, Eastern province of Rwanda, note the trees on the shores and swamp in the foreground.

In the Eastern province of Rwanda just kilometer from the country capital Kigali there is a transition of cold to hot, the temperatures in the region accounts for the highest of this tropical country; nevertheless, it is the most water-bodied part of the country. The region despite its water system which is expected to cool down the region, is the hottest because of the smallest size of the water bodies.

Due to the river reversal caused by great rift valley formation in western and warping ot the east, much of country's water were set eastwards. There are a mesh of lakes and major rivers of the country—Nyabarongo and Akagera, Nile tributary. Along the Rivers and lakes there are swamps which fluctuate seasonally.

Rwandan are agrarian in nature, so they use water from wetland, rivers and lakes to irrigate and swamps for planting Yams and rice. There no much pollution in wetlands since farmers do not apply much of industrial fertilizers, and rarely there exist waste spilling off rivers.

Rivers in the region are yellowish due to erosion of soil as it passes muddy areas. Currently Rwanda government environment awareness programs have encouraged terrace making and tree planting on banks of the rivers to back up the Lakes silting, also trees are planted on the shore of the lake.  

To protect these biodiversity resources, farmers are taught the importance of protecting the wetlands despite how dull they might appear to be. In February, I had got chance to do a field trip with my fellow classmates, where we did analyze effect of climatic change to biodiversity of Mirayi lake surroundings. Results are that cultivating seasons were altered that farmers complained about sun destroying their crops. The farmers still depend on amount of water sources available in time.

Me and other Gashora  girls academy Geography students making a field tour at farm. Notice dead plants in foreground.

Wetlands of the region are significantly unexploited nor polluted due to relatively low population found in the eastern since it is considered less fertile. Predictably, in coming years the wetlands will be encroached on due to population growth keeping on advancing in Rwanda.