Of Dzalanyama forest

Formerly known as the Central Angoni Highlands Game Reserve, the status of Dzalanyama Reserve was changed in the late 1922 and became a forest reserve –to protect Lilongwe’s water resource. Brachystegias [Miombo] are by far the most dominant kinds of trees with three dominant species sometimes entirely covering large areas. Other species found are Msuku (Uapaca) and clumps of Nyowe (Eugenia Cordata). At the highest points and fringing the higher streams there are patches of montane evergreen woodland. The forest is a great place to explore—walking, trekking or mountain biaking.

Malawi has the highest deforestation rate in Sub Saharan Africa at 2.8 percent. According to Ministry of Energy, 70 percent of charcoal consumed in Lilongwe, Dedza and Mchinji come from Dzalanyama reserve. It is predicted that the forest may not be there in the next 10 years if nothing is done. Malawi loses 200 square miles of its forest annually. It is estimated that between 1990 to 2005, Malawi lost 494000 hectares of forest at an average of 50000 hectares per year.

More than ninety percent (90 percent) of Malawians use firewood and charcoal for cooking. Escom can only supply power to less than 10 percent of the population. It will take quite a while before everyone is put on Escom power. The administrative hassle that you have to undergo to get connected to Escom power is another story.

The Minister of Energy may be interested to know about this particular case. Chadika Community is six miles (near Ntaya) from Lilongwe City. The community is less than one kilometer from Escom main transmission line. Having engaged Escom in a long connectivity tussle, the later advised members of the community to buy their own materials to get connected to electricity way back in 2012. To this end, over K2 million was raised and sometime in December 2013 a transformer was bought from the source as approved by Escom.

To this date, the transformer is just sitting idle in the community almost a year down the line and Escom cannot say why despite all follow up efforts.

As it stands, this community will continue depending on firewood for cooking because responsible authorities have not done what is needful to support local efforts to diversify power sources and reduce reliance on firewood. This is just one example that stands for many untold cases about how power supply matters are handled in Malawi.

There are fewer alternative and affordable energy sources available to Malawians at the moment. These and other reasons are forcing Malawians to continue depending on firewood as the only reliable energy source. Dzalanyama forest seems to be the only viable source of firewood at the moment for surrounding districts.

Due lack of employment and limited income earning alternatives, many people (especially men) engage in natural resource enterprise business. There are scores of men that engage in firewood and charcoal business in Malawi. Literature has it that l92800 people earn their livelihoods through charcoal value chains in Malawi. There are at least 46500 charcoal producers, 12500 charcoal transporters and 33500 small-scale charcoal traders. They need to earn a living and support their families.

The government needs to consider the following options seriously and immediately if this problem will be addressed:

• A review of the Energy policy should focus on small-scale energy consumer demands (the 90% that currently use firewood). While investment in large scale energy schemes should continue, government should immediately address immediate needs of the majority in Malawi.
• Upscale utilization of other tested and affordable energy technologies that are already on shelf and make them available to people.
• Support and upscale adoption of the clay stove-by making it available to every Malawian. Malawi has already made a commitment of 2 million stoves by 2020 to Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA). Malawi needs approximately Mk3 billion to ensure that everyone has a clay stove in Malawi. These stoves can also help Malawi generate carbon finance which would be an important source of revenue for Malawi.

Otherwise Malawi is “burning and faces a difficult future”. n