The Ruvyironza (or Luvironza) River () is a river in Burundi, the main tributary of the Ruvubu River.
Its headwaters are the most remote source of the Nile when measured by river length from the Nile's mouth.
Course
The Ruvyironza rises in the east of
Bururi Province to the west of
Mount Kikizi ().
It forms near
Kiryama and the RIG6 / RP83 junction, where its tributaries the Nyabuyugi and Kibazwa come together.
It flows northwest to the border with
Gitega Province. It follows part of the border between these two provinces, then flows through Gitega Province to the border with
Mwaro Province, and follows the Mwaro-Gitega border north before turning east and again crossing Gitega Province to its mouth on the
Ruvubu River.
Most of the rivers in the Nile Basin portion of Burundi flow into the Ruvubu or its main tributary, the Ruvyironza.
Source of the Nile
The Luvironza River is the source of the Nile in the sense that it is in the Nile basin, and the distance by river from its headwater to the mouth of the Nile is , longer than the distance from any other headwater.
It is a tributary of the
Ruvubu River, a tributary of the
Kagera River, which flows in
Lake Victoria.
From there, the river takes different names as it flows north: the
Victoria Nile,
Albert Nile, Bahr al Jabal,
White Nile and north of Khartoum the
Nile.
Environment
The surroundings of the upper Ruvyironza are mainly savannah.
The area is quite densely populated, with 239 inhabitants per square kilometer as of 2016.
The average annual temperature in the area is .
The warmest month is September, when the average temperature is , and the coldest is April, with .
Average annual rainfall is .
The wettest month is December, with an average of of precipitation, and the driest is July, with of precipitation.
At Nyabiraba in central Gitega Province the Ruvyironza has a drainage basin, with average flow of .
Annual precipitation is and average temperature is .
The laws regarding the public hydraulic zones are not respected in any of the Ruvubu watersheds, but particularly along the Ruvyironza.
This results in frequent landslides of the unprotected river banks.
Marshes
The Ruvyironza basin contains of marshes, of which , or 87%, were exploited for agriculture by 1998.
The Ruvyironza flows along the eastern boundary of the Commune of Gishubi in Gitega, separting it from the Commune of Makebuko.
The Kanyangwa River flows through Gishubi to join it from the west (left).
The marshes of these two rivers are used for farming year round.
The soil in this section of the river is not very fertile, and the farmers must use fertilizer.
In December 2015 torrential rains in the Commune of Mutaho, Gitega Province, devastated fields in the marshes of the Ruvubu and Ruvyironza rivers.
Crops of beans, corn and sweet potatoes that had already been planted were lost.
In April 2024 extensive flooding in the Ruvyironza River valley destroyed several hectares of crops in the Commune of Nyabihanga, Mwaro Province.
The bridge linking the Commune of Nyabihanga to the Commune of Gitega was at risk of collapse.
Hydroelectricity
The Ruvyironza power station is in Gitega Province, northeast of the city of
Gitega, facing
Karuzi Province over the
Ruvubu River.
It is fed by a canal running south from a dam on the Ruvyironza River near its mouth on the Ruvubu River.
It discharges into the Ruvubu River.
The Ruvyironza plant, owned by
REGIDESO Burundi, was commissioned in 1980/1984.
Power is supplied by three 425 KW turbines, delivering 1275 KW when all three are running, or 850 KW when just two are operational.
A 2012 report by the Ministry for Energy and Mines stated that potential developments on the Ruvyironza (Luvi 047, 039, 012) might be able to deliver 21.2MW.
Notes
See also
-
List of rivers of Burundi
Sources
-
Temperature data from satellite measurements of the earth's surface temperature within a box that is 0.1×0.1 degrees
-
Average value for the years 2012–2014 within a box that is 0.1×0.1 degrees
