Mpanda River
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| Mpanda River | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Native name | Rivière Mpanda (French) |
| Location | |
| Country | Burundi |
| Province | Bubanza Province |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Ruzizi River |
• coordinates | 3°18′50″S 29°16′37″E / 3.313783°S 29.276974°E |
The Mpanda River (French: Rivière Mpanda) is a river in Bubanza Province, Burundi. It is a tributary of the Ruzizi River.
The Mpanda River and the Kajeke River are the only permanent tributaries of the Rusizi in its lower plain. The Mpanda rises near the crest of the Zaire-Nile ridge, and flows across the plain for about 30 kilometres (19 mi). About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Rusizi it crosses an enormous expanse of marshes that connect to the Mutimbuzi River basin.[1]
The Mpanda rises in the Kibira National Park on the border between Muramvya Province and Bubanza Province. It flows west and then south-southwest through Bubanza Province past the towns of Mpanda and Murengeza, then flows southwest along the boundary between Bubanza Province and Bujumbura Rural Province. It defines the north end of the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, then joins the Ruzizi River just north of its mouth on Lake Tanganyika.[2]
The Mpanda is up to 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 ft) wide and 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) deep.[1] In dry periods the flow may be only 2 cubic metres per second (71 cu ft/s), but it can become a torrent in flood periods.[3]
Issues
In October 2020 the standpipes in Rukaramu, Commune of Mutimbuzi, Bujumbura Rural Province, had been dry for over six months. The inhabitants were forced to use water from the Mpanda River.[4] In November 2020 the river banks collapsed and Mpanda River left its bed near Rukaramu.[5]
In March 2021 the Gatura irrigation dam on the Mpanda River gave way, causing a risk that over 3,125 hectares (7,720 acres) of rice fields in the communes of Mpanda and Gihanga would dry up. A possible solution was to divert the nearby Nyaburiga River into the dam's canal.[6] In May 2021 the river threatened to break the dam that protects the infrastructure of the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport.[7]