Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE 10th Mara Day Celebra I’mtions began in Tarime District in Mara Region today with regional authorities appealing for a huge turn out of stakeholders.
Mara Regional Adminstrative Secretary, Mr Albert Msovela said over the week- end during a press briefing that everything was in place for the event to be staged.
“I would like to appeal to citizens of Mara Region, work- ers, entrepreneurs and all development stakeholders within and outside the region to participate in the commemoration that will be held at Tarime Teachers Training College,” he said.
RAS Msovela confirmed that Minister for Water Mr Jumaa Aweso is expected to grace the climax of the event on Wednesday.
The theme of this year’s Mara Day is: Conserve Mara River for Tourism and Sustain- able Economy.
Besides exhibitions that involve conservation matters starting today at the old government teachers training college, other activities that are happening as part of the commemoration include planting of about 16,000 environmentally friendly trees in response to deforestation threatening the ecology of the river basin which supports lives of people and wildlife.
According to the regional officials, 70 beacons will also be installed along the border in some rural villages near Mara River.
The beacons help to pre- vent human activities threatening the survival of the river and it’s basin.
Mara Day is held on September 15 every year with dif- ferent themes aimed at promoting sustainable conservation of the transboundary River which is shared between Tanzania and Kenya.
The Transboundary River starts in the Mau forests on the Kenyan side and then flows through the Masai Mara Game Reserves and Serengeti National Park before emptying into Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
The 10th sectorial council of ministers for Lake Victoria Basin held in the Rwandan capital Kigali in May 2012 declared every September 15 to be “Mara Day ‘’.
Since then Tanzania and Kenya have been celebrating the day on a rotational basis but things changed last year, dur- ing the 9th edition, where each country celebrated on its own due Covid-19 outbreak.
