Burundi - Watershed Management and Climate Resilience Improvement Project (PABVARC)

The Watershed Management and Climate Resilience Improvement Project (PABVARC) of Burundi will be implemented over a period of five years. The project, through the rehabilitation or the participatory realization of a certain number of works of development and construction of essential infrastructures, will not only promote the food production, but will also contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the populations, especially in terms of opening up, nutrition and human health as well as social organization. It will intervene in six provinces (Bujumbura Rural, Bururi, Gitega, Karusi, Makamba and Rutana) for watershed management activities and at the national level for actions supporting the hydrometeorological system. The main expected results are as follows: (i) Development of twenty-six micro-watersheds in the project area, including twelve taking into account climate risks, for a total area of 10,000 ha, reforestation of 6,800 ha, maintenance 7,375 ha of old plantations, construction of 1,000 km of new vegetated trenches and opening of 880 km of firewalls; (ii) Maintenance of 150 km of tracks including 66 km of new tracks and 30 km of tracks that have been lateralised; (iii) Production of a strategic guide for the consideration of climate change in watershed management; (iv) Rehabilitation of 21 meteorological stations and 21 hydrological observation points and (v) Establishment of a hydrometeorological information and data exchange system to be used in particular for climate change adaptation. The total cost of the project is UA 9.07 million.