DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango on Monday urged citizens, including government leaders, to ensure that the Great Ruaha River is fully protected from environmental degradation.
Mpango castigated government leaders who were protecting farmers and livestock keepers that have encroached on the river for farming activities and livestock keeping.
He made the call when he addressed a conference of conservation stakeholders, in Iringa Region, who discussed the need to protect water sources in the country that were facing destruction by human activities.
The Great Ruaha River, with a basin catchment area of 83,970 square kilometers that flows through the Usangu wetlands and the Ruaha National Park east into the Rufiji River, has almost dried up after farmers and livestock keepers encroached on its upstream.
He directed government leaders to crack down on livestock keepers who were grazing animals and farmers who were farming on the river banks.
The Great Ruaha River is also a major source of water for wild animals in the Ruaha National Park, located in Tanzania's southern highlands and covering an area of 45,000 square kilometers.
