Ruzizi
| Ruzizi | ||
 Hippos in the Ruzizi River, Burundi |
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| Data | ||
| location |
East Africa : Democratic Republic of the Congo Rwanda Burundi  
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| River system | Congo | |
| Drain over | Lukuga → Congo → Atlantic | |
| source |
Kiwu Lake 2 ° 29 ′ 25 ″ S , 28 ° 53 ′ 35 ″ E |
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| muzzle |
Lake Tanganyika coordinates: 3 ° 21 ′ 52 " S , 29 ° 15 ′ 51" E 3 ° 21 ′ 52 " S , 29 ° 15 ′ 51" E
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| length | 104 km | |
| Left tributaries | Kaburantwa ; Kagunuzi; Rubyiro; Ruhwa | |
The Ruzizi (French spelling Rusizi ) is the only outflow of the East African Kiwu Lake , one of the tributaries of Lake Tanganyika and is 104 km long.
course
It flows from Lake Kiwu at its southern end and then forms the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda , then between the DR Congo and Burundi . The Ruzizi flows on these national borders parallel to the elongated Central African Sill and within the East African Rift Valley towards the south. Within this rift valley there is an elongated chain of lakes connected by rivers. The Ruzizi flows into Lake Tanganyika.
Eight kilometers from its confluence, it splits into two arms. The narrower western arm carries only a tenth of the total amount of water into the lake, but forms the border with the Congo . The wider eastern part is the main tributary of the lake.
Energy generation
At the outflow of the Kiwu Lake, a weir was built as early as 1958 to generate electricity, which also has an impact on the water level of the lake. The Ruzizi I power plant supplies electricity to Bubanza and Kigoma via the Mururu substation . With optimal utilization, the plant is estimated at 148 GWh annually. The Ruzizi II power plant was added in 1989. Both power plants are operated by a trinational company with the participation of the neighboring countries. Since the electricity production is insufficient to supply the surrounding areas, a third power plant, Ruzizi III , is planned 25 km downstream.
