Kigali, 11 February 2019: Minister of Environment, Dr. Vincent Biruta graced the second day of the Third National Urban Forum which discussed building cities’ resilience to climate change.

Minister for Environment, Dr. Vincent Biruta said climate warming has a negative impact on the lives on Rwandans and affects about ten per cent of the national budget and called for joint efforts to reverse the trend.

“Urbanization is a priority for Rwanda. As the most densely populated nation on the continent and with citizens moving to the cities at a rate more than twice the global average, we need best practices in urbanization in line with green growth,” he said.

He said that natural disasters that include floods and landslides are set to increase unless something is done to develop cities in ways that are more attuned to nature.

“There is need for partnerships of the government with the private sector, civil society and others to ensure green, clean and sustainable development. The flooding at Nyabugogo is a regular reminder that unless we design, build and retrofit our urban areas to be resilient to climate change, then we are likely to face repair bills that are simply unsustainable,” he highlighted.

Minister Biruta said that according to the World Bank, 42 per cent of economic losses in the housing sector in countries like Rwanda was due to flooding.

“Without significant investment to make cities more resilient, it is predicted that by 2030, natural disasters may cost cities $314 billion a year. Building a resilient green city, requires to be aware of these risks. There are some immediate and cost effective ways to reduce the impact of climate change and natural disasters in our urban areas,” he said.

“In Kigali, we must begin relocating over 7,000 economic activities in the city’s wetlands. These factories, garages, houses and car parks are hampering the city’s ability to cope with flooding and are putting others at risk as well”, he added.

Once the activities have moved, Minister Biruta said, they will continue to rehabilitate wetlands and invest in flooding management infrastructures such as artificial lakes and ponds.

“This infrastructure builds resilience to floods and then water stored there can be used for multiple purposes which boost our ability to adapt to climate change,” he explained.

Minister Biruta said that the development of Nyandungu urban wetland ecotourism park and restoration of forests on the hills of Rebero, Kigali and Jali supports the efforts to create green spaces and climate resilience as a practical way to mitigate global warming.

Minister Biruta added that green transport including electric cars, bikes and buses are also an important part of sustainable cities.

“We are working on e-mobility feasibility study and we will soon roll out electric motorbikes. We are also investigating the use of cable cars as an effective mass transit solution,” he said.

In partnership with green growth institute and support from Germany, he said, they are completing a feasibility study for a green city pilot project which will be constructed on a 620-hectare site in Kinyinya sector.

“The ongoing process to develop secondary cities that are green and climate resilient is for green urbanization. There is need to use local construction materials paired with smart designs so that we reduce the need for costly and energy hungry air conditioning,” he said.

The Third National Form was hosted by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Infrastructure in partnership with its development partners World Bank, UN Habitat, Enabel, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), International Growth Centre (IGC) , Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) ,FONERWA,ICLEI  and SKAT Consulting Ltd at Kigali Convention Centre from 6 to 7 February 2019.The Forum attracted 300 hundred participants from different countries and all stakeholders in the sector.