In a stench that fouls air at Dyeratu Trading Centre in Chikwawa, tongues wag about spills of ethanol waste from PressCane’s ethanol factory nearby.
The pollution did not start in January this year when acidic wastewater, called vinasse, burst effluent ponds, flooding homes, croplands, grasslands and trees.
Bondo Dzimbiri recalls last year’s spill, which he claims hurt his 14-year-old daughter’s leg.
“I live about 200 metres from the waste ponds and the spills used to pass through my homestead until PressCane raised the bunds last year.
“Patricia removed her shoes and crossed the blackish water barefoot on the way to school, but she suddenly felt unbearable heat in her foot and developed sores. The Standard Eight girl missed classes for over a month due to this.”
Dzimbiri keeps medical documents in search of justice for the girl who now survives on painkillers a week.
“Every week, I spend K5 000 on painkillers due to pain and itchy feet,” he says.
This could be symptomatic of the graver public health threats.
Locals say what once felt like an accidental spill in 2008 became a perennial pollution.
Dzimbiri says spills have worsened since 2023 when PressCane first postponed the commissioning of its K10 billion plant to turn the swelling waste into organic fertiliser.
The delayed waste-to-fertliser factory has left the sludge overflowing, bringing into questions the ethanol company’s commitment to sustainable waste management and surrounding communities’ well-being.
It has also stirred a backlash against regulatory authorities.
Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (Mepa) closed PressCane operation and the National Water Resources Authority imposed a K40 million fine following the January spill.
“The overflows stink and pollute our community. Sometimes I wonder if our lives matter?” asks Peter Mpinganjira, whose evergreen trees were scorched by vinasse.
‘Not the first time’
Mepa, established by the Environment Management Act of 2017 to protect the environment, denies dozing off or siding with the polluter.
Mepa director general Wilfred Kadewa told The Nation: “You may wish to note that this is not the first time we have issued stop orders to Presscane. The company started in 2004 and there were only four ponds. Due to enforcement actions, currently there are nine…to deal with the pollution.
“Due to last year’s penalties, Presscane raised all the bunds of the ponds by one metr eto minimise and curb the overflows.”
Four months ago, the swelling wastewater burst the raised bunds and a hip-high fence, scorching plants in its way.
PressCane ferments molasses from Illovo Sugar (Malawi) plc’s Nchalo sugarcane fields into fuel and industrial ethanol.
Increasing waste ponds has not averted overflows of the sludge dammed for fertiliser production.
“While this project has been delayed, they [PressCane] are still liable for any pollution they cause,” Kadewa says.
Legally, Mepa can only issue fines not more than K5 million regardless of the severity of the environmental damage. This is eight times less than the fine imposed by NWRA.
Locals say the fines are too small to deter wealthy polluters.
According to Mepa and Chikwawa District Council, a comprehensive assessment of environmental and social damage is underway to compensate affected households by June 2026.
NRWA onsite tests in January showed that the polluted lowlands “had very elevated dissolved solids, high acidity and depleted dissolved oxygen, indicating a high pollution load”.
The findings also show “possible upstream pollution” in Mthumba River.
In February, The Nation asked NRWA chief executive officer Dwight Kambuku, now suspended, for the true extent of water pollution in Dyeratu and surrounding areas.
He said: “The authority acknowledges that there have been previous compliance concerns at the facility, including findings from earlier inspections. Regulatory actions were taken at the time, including directives for corrective measures.
“However, the January 2026 incident demonstrated that earlier measures were not adequately implemented in view of increasing production volumes and rainfall risks. This incident triggered stronger enforcement actions, including permit suspension and penalties.”
NRWA has ordered PressCane to stop discharging liquid waste and reclaim the polluted land and water sources.
In an interview during a visit to Dyeratu on Wednesday, PressCane chief executive officer Bryson Mkhomaanthu said: “We are committed to ensuring environmental sustainability. When the spill happened in January, we quickly intervened to evacuate some affected families and hired consultants to assess and stabilise the ponds so that they do not spill again.
“So far, we have complied with all 12 actions ordered by NWRA and we have duly informed them. As for Mepa’s list, we have addressed all six compliance issues under our control. We are fast-trackng efforts to decommission all nine secondary ponds by April 17 [today]. This means we are only remaining with one compliance issue—compensating affected communities—as we are yet to get a report from Chikwawa District Council which is conducting assessments together with relevant agencies.”
Isaac Ali, who leads the council’s community engagement committee, says participating agencies have submitted reports to Mepa detailing the affected population and the spill’s impact on agriculture, housing, environment and public health.
Making laws work
Environmental law scholar Chikosa Banda, from the University of Malawi, says robust environmental governance depends not just on existing laws, but institutions’ capacity to monitor compliance, detect violations early and respond decisively before harm escalates.
He states: “We need to enhance technical, human and financial capacity for Mepa and NRWA to effectively discharge their legal mandates. Mepa is a relatively young institution, which is still building its capacity to function effectively and independently. Strengthening Mepa at this formative stage is critical to ensuring long-term compliance with environmental law and policy.”
To the expert, the fines and stop orders shows dos and don’ts exist, but “the scale and duration of the alleged harm suggest that enforcement remains largely reactive rather than preventive.
“This underscores the need for stronger institutional coordination, routine monitoring and early-warning systems to prevent environmental degradation before it reaches crisis levels,” he says.
Enviromentalist Herbert Mwalukomo and biochemical scientist Chikumbutso Kaonga say vigilant inspections and waste audits would have averted the spill.
