Twagirayezu Edmond, a researcher at COEB, has dedicated four years to studying freshwater macroinvertebrates, vital components of aquatic ecosystems.

These small creatures, visible to the naked eye and lacking backbones, serve as crucial indicators of water quality and potential sources for medical discoveries.

In an interview with ICK News, Twagirayezu elucidates the distinction between macro and microscopic invertebrates, highlighting their pivotal role in assessing water quality and ecosystem health.

Macroinvertebrates, including insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and worms, are integral to environmental assessments, signaling pollution and anthropogenic disturbances in aquatic habitats.

Edmond underscores their significance in indicating both deteriorating and chronically stressed environments.

Moreover, Edmond emphasizes the medical implications of macroinvertebrates, particularly mollusks acting as hosts for parasites, which pose risks of waterborne illnesses such as schistosomiasis.

By monitoring and studying macroinvertebrates, researchers gain valuable insights into the health and ecological conditions of aquatic environments.

Their sensitivity to pollution makes them popular indicators in wetland assessments, offering crucial information for conservation and management efforts.

However, different polluting substances are now emitted into surface water bodies, requiring chemical monitoring.

This monitoring is becoming a challenge, especially in developing countries, due to the cost of chemicals, analytical equipment, trained personnel, materials, repairs, and energy consumption.

While biological monitoring cannot eliminate the need for chemical analysis of water, both methods should be combined to provide a system that is not too expensive and provides maximum information with efficiency.