Don’t dump refuse in rivers—Kasungu mayor

Kasungu Municipal Council Mayor Heese Nyangu has condemned dumping of refuse such as disposable nappies in streams, saying the practice leads to water pollution.

He said this on Monday in Kasungu when he led residents in a tree-planting exercise along Kavunguti Stream which is a catchment for Central Region Water Board’s (CRWB) Chitete Dam that supplies water to the municipality.

Said Nyangu: “The levels of environmental pollution in our municipality have reached pathetic levels. Our biggest challenge is the dumping of baby nappies in streams, including Kavunguti Stream that feeds Chitete Dam.

“At the level we are moving, our dam will be filled up with trash and that will affect people’s lives.”

The mayor has since asked residents to have proper refuse disposal mechanisms “to avert a looming environmental crisis.”

CRWB Kasungu scheme manager Jairus Gondwe said it was pleasing that the residents initiated the tree-planting exercise to show ownership of the catchment area.

“Our job as a water utility is to ensure that we supply clean water to every household. If people destroy the environment, we will fail to meet that responsibility because water levels will shrink,” he said.

Kasungu District Council assistant forestry officer Breeno Ching’ondola asked the residents to take care of the trees as a lot of money is spent in preparing nurseries.

The residents planted at least 1 000 trees during the exercise organised by youth clubs and community-based organisations with support from CRWB and the Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development.