The Lukaya River Basin is an important source of drinking water for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but heavy sedimentation has jeopardized its flows leading to community-led forestry programs to reduce erosion.

Nature-based Intervention:

Large scale deforestation had left the Lukaya River Basin vulnerable to flooding and erosion. In order to counteract this trend 4 tree nurseries were established which are capable of producing 42,000 seedlings each year. A community agroforestry system was created covering 15 ha( 7 ha of which reforested slopes) and benefitting 20 local families. Green buffer zones were established along the riverbank in order to reduce sedimentation and erosion. Bioengineering utilizing the plant vetiver(Chrysopogon zizanioides) was implemented in order to to reduce the rates of erosion in gully’s and riverbanks. Four nurseries were created with the ability to produce 32,000 vetiver plants per year. Workshops were held to teach the community about ecosystem based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) and how to implement it.

Overview of context and outcomes:

The Lukaya river basin is an important water source for the country’s capital Kinshasa. The erosion in the river causes sedimentation which in turn reduces reduces water quality, blocks the flow of the river, decreases the quality of local fisheries and increases the cost of water treatment.