Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration

The document details Rwanda's 2004 electricity crisis, which was caused by declining water levels in Lake Bulera due to watershed degradation, poor maintenance, and reduced rainfall. In response, the government implemented the Environment Policy (2003), Environment Law (2005), and Land Law (2005) to protect the Rugezi Wetlands, banning agricultural and pastoral activities within 50 meters of lake shores. These measures, combined with reforestation and erosion control, restored the Ntaruka station to full operational capacity by October 2007. The crisis also prompted Rwanda to diversify its energy portfolio into methane gas, geothermal, and peat resources to reduce vulnerability to hydrological changes and climate change.

• Rwanda experienced a severe electricity supply crisis in 2003-04 primarily because the Ntaruka hydropower station's generation capacity dropped due to falling water levels in Lake Bulera.
• The decline in the Rugezi-Bulera-Ruhondo watershed was caused by a combination of human activity, including the drainage of wetlands for cash crops, deforestation, and soil erosion driven by high population density.
• To restore hydropower potential, the Rwandan government enacted laws restricting land use, specifically banning agricultural and pastoral activities within 10 meters of streams and rivers and 50 meters of lake banks.
• The restoration of the Rugezi Wetlands led to the Ntaruka hydropower station returning to full operational capacity by October 2007, with production reaching 7 MW by 2009 and Mukungwa reaching 11 MW.
• The 2004 crisis drove Rwanda to diversify its energy sources beyond hydropower to include methane gas from Lake Kivu, geothermal energy, peat deposits, solar, and biogas.
• While the restoration improved energy security, it created short-term negative impacts on local livelihoods, including a 10 percent increase in the landless population in some areas due to the loss of agricultural land without compensation.

APA

HOVE, H., PARRY, J.-E., & LUJARA, N. (n.d.). Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/maintenance_hydro_rwanda.pdf

Chicago

HOVE, HILARY, JO-ELLEN PARRY, and NELSON LUJARA. Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/maintenance_hydro_rwanda.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=HOVE |first1=HILARY |last2=PARRY |first2=JO-ELLEN |last3=LUJARA |first3=NELSON |title=Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/maintenance_hydro_rwanda.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hovendmaintenance, author = {HOVE, HILARY and PARRY, JO-ELLEN and LUJARA, NELSON}, title = {{Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/maintenance_hydro_rwanda.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }