Forest project hailed for slowing run-off
Rumphi District Council says implementation of the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme in the district has significantly reduced land runoff.
District land resource conservation officer and programme desk officer Boyd Msowoya said in an interview on Friday that the programme has also helped control flooding, especially in areas perennially hit by floods.
He said: “Climate change is real. We are experiencing a phenomenon that never existed such as excessive rains. That is why we need these interventions.”
One of the programme’s participant Timothy Msiska, who is also Lumbwezi Village Development Committee chairperson in Traditional Authority Kachulu, hailed the forest regeneration aspect of the project.
“Since the inception of the project, we have managed to reduce the force of running water from the slopes in the forest to the fields below,” he said.
The district has 16 catchment with participants drawn from almost all traditional authorities. The number of participants has increased from over 8 000 to about 10 000.
The programme is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project, funded through the Multi Donor Trust Fund and the World Bank.
So far, it has empowered communities in Rumphi to conserve 7 384 hectares (ha). This includes 6 804ha of degraded land and 580ha of endangered forests.
