Enough is enough: Atupele should resign

Lilongwe will soon be Blantyre. Let me explain. I mean, in terms of persistent water shortages, our blossoming capital city, in not more 10 years, would turn nastier than the nasty commercial city.

Let me take you back, say 20 years ago. I wasn’t in Blantyre then, but I understand the erratic water supply was not an issue. Blantyre Water Board (BWB) was able to balance water generation from two sources: Walkers Ferry at Nkula and Mudi Dam. Mudi Dam, then, was flourishing with water because it’s catchment areas was thick with trees.

BWB today cannot balance the generation. When Walkers Ferry, for some other reasons, fails to function, it means no water in the city. Mudi Dam, we all know, dried up. It is now a wasteland, a valley of dry bones.

But we did not just wake up one morning and find Mudi Dam dry. It has been a process dating back to when locals were allowed to encroach Mudi’ catchment area.  When locals started encroaching Mudi’s catchment area, some good people raised an alarm. I understand such people warned that increased encroachment of the catchment area would, in the future, render the dam dry, something that would complicate water service delivery in the growing city.

I am sure, when such good people were raising the alarm, BWB had people who, each and every month, were paid for managing sustainable use of Mudi. I mean, when such good people were raising the alarm, Blantyre had a whole department at its city council responsible for sustainable use of the environment. I am saying, when such good people were raising the alarm, the entire government had a whole department with learned officials getting hefty salaries and benefits to manage the environment.

But did they take heed? We all hold the truth and we are self-evident of their failure. Look, here we are today. Mudi is dry, water supply is reaching it’s record worst, yet those responsible that sat idle are still in the offices, and some have even been promoted.

Is this how we should be running our affairs?

Lilongwe, today, is getting the alarm which Blantyre despised 20 years ago, something behind the commercial city erratic water supply challenges.

Lilongwe gets its water from Lilongwe River and Dzalanyama Forest Reserve is its catchment area. As I write, Dzalanyama is heavily being encroached by locals. The level of deforestation due to charcoal making is not normal. A report released months ago revealed that at the rate of Dzalanyama ‘ s destruction,  the forest will exhaust in ten years.

In fact, Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Atupele Muluzi—together with a congress of other officials notable ones being the principal secretary and director of forestry—have all been to Dzalanyama on various occasions. Millions, I guess, have been spent on these ministerial visits.

In all these visits, Muluzi expressed shock at the rate of Dzalanyama’s destruction and pledged action now. That was as early as August.

Today, months later, nothing is happening to save Dzalanyama from its imminent deletion.

To be honest, Muluzi is heading a critical ministry in terms of future development prospects of Malawi. The challenge facing Malawi today stops at how we should use our resources without jeopardising  the needs of the children we have.

In Blantyre, our parents and their government were careless and stingy and the water challenges facing the city is a symbol of what happens when a generation only thinks about its time.

It makes me angry when, despite paying millions to the staff at the forestry department and the ministry, we still cannot stop the worst environmental destructions of our time.

Right thinking countries banned the use of plastic papers long time ago. In Malawi, we are, up to date, failing to implement a ban of these environmentally dangerous plastic papers. The ministry, rocked in corruption, is failing to stand up and stop the continued production, circulation and use of environmentally acid plastic papers.

I have met Muluzi on two occasions where we discussed how to save Dzalanyama and I have, again met Dr Yanira Ntupanyama, principal secretary responsible for Natural Resource Management, where we discussed the plastic paper’s ban.

They all expressed concern over the two issues under discussion. But expressing concern is not enough to move Malawi from these two dangerous environmental catastrophes. Malawians put these two in the offices to act on their behalf in saving the environment.  We can’t go on like this.

That is why, on these two critical environmental issues, I feel Mr Atupele Muluzi has failed the country. For the good of the future generation, he should set down and resign. No two ways about it.