Lake Tanganyika got upset. He is starting to do justice to himself. At a time when people keep invading its buffer zone by building luxurious infrastructures and throwing waste of any kind, this water reservoir lets out his anger. Its waters rise gradually and invade a significant part of its buffer zone. Unfortunate consequences are being observed. Environmentalists are asking the population to respect the water code. Otherwise, danger awaits those who ignore this law, because sooner or later, nature ends up regaining its rights.

It is Thursday April 2, 2020. At 11:10am, the Burundi Eco reporter left the headquarters of this socio-economic weekly located in the Rohero district, Avenue Moso No. 23, heading for Lake Tanganyika. Following the rain that keeps falling on the city of Bujumbura, the reality is that the waters of Lake Tanganyika have risen and that the shoreline infrastructures have been flooded. The most emblematic examples are, for example, leisure places such as “Lacosta Beach”, Safi Beach, the restaurant bar at the Safari Gate hotel, etc.

“Lacosta beach” has become inaccessible, as the road leading to this place is flooded along no less than 50 m of the coastline of Lake Tanganyika. It is not easy to get there. Only pedestrians can easily access it, as you have to wade through the water. Otherwise, to set foot there, you pay money to the sturdy boys you meet there to move on your back. For the owner of “Lacosta Beach”, this situation is a moment of distress. His investment was swallowed up.

The consequences of the inaccessibility of Lacosta beach

Plus, the Lacosta Beach staff is going to lose jobs once this freshwater reservoir doesn't recover. Jacques Nahayo, Kelly Karekezi and Fiacre Keza, fans of Sainte Mousse who met in the Kinindo district, do not hide their feeling of dissatisfaction. “The inaccessibility of “Lacoste Beach” following the rise in the waters of Lake Tanganyika is a moment of disaster for us. On the weekends, we went to this place to share a drink with our friends whenever we could find financial resources. It had become a habit, because it is a beautiful beach. We often visited it in order to relax,” they reveal.

The reasons to go there are multiple, they add. Either you sit astride a chair contemplating the waves of Lake Tanganyika, or on the sand. In addition, this fresh water reservoir gives off a good wind that is pleasant to enjoy. For all these reasons, they feel a certain disgust at the fact that this beach has been invaded by the waters of Lake Tanganyika.

What about the situation at Zion Beach?

After Lacosta beach, we continued the tour to “Zion beach”. A few meters from the entrance to this beach, the road is flooded. The resto-bar called Link Center with a reception room and a modern gym located to the left of “Zion Beach” was also affected. A member of the latter's staff met at the entrance to this place indicated that the activities were going from bad to worse. If it rains, the waters of the lake even invade the interior of this resto bar. This situation is hampering business, as customers are coming in very little by little.

The “Safari Gate” hotel resto-bar invaded by the waters of Lake Tanganyika

The restaurant bar at the “Safari Gate” hotel was not spared. During our visit to this place, people were sitting in the huts set up in the courtyard of this resto-bar having breakfast. There were black people and there were white people. At this point, the water rose more than 15 meters from the shore of Lake Tanganyika. The whole sandy part was flooded by the waters. The bathroom the same. The servers who interviewed with Burundi Eco indicate that this situation of rising lake waters has been observed since January 2020. They say it has disrupted hotel operations because it limits guests in choosing their location. Those who preferred to sit close to the lake in the shade of the trees planted there may not come back.

The resto-bar called Link Center, which has a reception room and a modern gym, located to the left of “Zion Beach”, was also flooded.

Rising lake waters are ruining activities at Safi Beach

At the place called “Safi Beach” located near the port of Bujumbura, the situation is not as easy. The waters of the lake have invaded a significant part of this famous beach. The ordeal is not limited to floods. This lake continues to vomit waste of any kind that comes from households through the tributaries of this freshwater reservoir. Omar, the owner of this beach has no words to describe this massacre. Since this situation has arisen, this investor has been in a state of desolation. He indicates that he spends 50,000 Bu per day collecting this waste before adding the transport costs for the waste. If it continues to rain heavily, his investment is likely to be swallowed up. “Safi beach” is known as a place more frequented by those who start their own homes for 30,000 Fbu per couple.

The consequences of the rise in the waters of the lake in Rumonge

In Rumonge, the situation is the same. The waters of Lake Tanganyika have risen by a few dozen meters in recent days following intense rainfall. Following this natural disaster, Ferdinand Niyokindi, technical advisor to the Rumonge municipal administrator, indicates that about twenty houses were destroyed in the Kanyenkoko district. Dozens of hectares of crops have been washed away. In addition, part of the commercial port and the fishing port were flooded. In addition, one fisherman died and another was injured as a result of strong winds blowing across the lake. Two others lost their lives when a house collapsed on them. Some rural roads are impassable.

Respect for the buffer zone, an effective solution

Officials ask the population to respect the 150 m buffer zone, because those affected by the rise in the lake's waters are people who built or cultivated in this buffer zone by trampling on the water code. They specify that the establishment of new neighborhoods must be preceded by feasibility studies carried out by the OBUHA in order not to be exposed to potential risks.

The boundaries of the lake have not always been the same as they are today. Those who lived in Bujumbura some thirty years ago know this. History tells us that the waters of Lake Tanganyika have never been stable. Periods of heavy rains causing the lake's waters to rise have been legion for a long time. Around the years 1963, Albert Mbonerane, a friend of nature, pointed out that the waters of the lake rose to where the infrastructures of the National Radio Television of Burundi (RTNB) were built.

To avoid disaster for the residents of this lake, the government did not sit idly by. He put in place the water code and other texts whose objective was to protect the environment. Article 5 of the Water Code states that it is forbidden to build within 150 m from the shore of Lake Tanganyika. For its tributaries, 25 m must be respected, for northern lakes 50 m and 5 m for rivers in the interior of the country. However, now people are constantly taking over the buffer zone along the entire coastline of Lake Tanganyika to build luxurious villas. In July 2011, the Burundian parliament addressed the issue of the lawless buildings erected on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Field visits have increased to inquire about the situation. Nevertheless, houses have never stopped growing like mushrooms