A boom in small factories inside residential neighbourhoods is choking daily life in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, residents say, bringing constant noise, foul odours and mounting health problems to families who settled the areas decades before industry moved in.
In Chitipi along Mchinji Road, neighbours blame a carton‑making plant for a spike in respiratory illness and say repeated pleas to owners and authorities have gone unanswered.
“My little granddaughter has been in and out of hospital with a constant cough. We have established that this is a result of the foul smell from the factory. We have tried talking to authorities there, to no avail. We settled on this land way before all these factories. They started their operations and eventually affecting our wellbeing here,” said Ireen Chilalire.
Another resident James Zinyama Phiri, while acknowledging the economic value of the factories, said the health risks far outweigh the benefits.
He added that efforts to negotiate with factory owners have proved futile, warning the development will come at the cost of people’s health.
“Factories are just sprouting out in our residential area. We don’t know what they are manufacturing, with just a strange smell filling the air. Some of these factories are quite close to our houses. There are some that are making cement bricks and have damaged our roads. We want urgent help,” said Phiri.
Construction of factories in residential areas is becoming a health hazard and a threat people’s well-being in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
Factories are booming in residential areas, most of which began operating in 2022.
Several households we spoke to in the linear settlement of Chitipi and Njewa in Lilongwe say their lives have been reduced to a daily struggle for fresh air and peace as surrounding factories emit unbearable odours and relentless noise.
The residents say they settled in the area as early as 1995 long before the industries emerged.
Lilongwe City Council chief executive officer Mcloud Kadammanja acknowledged the booming of factories in residential areas.
He, however, blamed the situation to demarcation standoff between the city council and district council, arguing most of the plots were allocated by the district council
“We have gazetted a boundary for the city. It seems it is outdated. The only hiccup is for the ministry or the central government to formalise gazetting the new or extended city boundaries. We have a city master plan indicating where to place industries. Sometimes people settle in undesignated places, especially those surrounding the bypass road, that is currently not being controlled by the city. That’s why we need the extended boundaries gazetted so we take control of the area,” said Kadammanja.
But Lilongwe District Council spokesperson Andrew Mkonda distanced itself from the dispute.
He said both settlers and factory developers acquire land through traditional authorities and estate agents, not the council.
Mkonda added that Chitipi is treated as a mixed-use development area, where residential and industrial activities have grown side by side.
He added that the council has not received any formal complaints from residents.
“We allocate land through the land allocation committee on land the council has lawfully acquired. For Chitipi, the council has not done allocated any land to either residents or industries,” he said.
Mkonda noted that developers are supposed to acquire permission before commencement of projects in accordance with the Physical Planning Act and other applicable planning and environmental laws.
Mzuzu University urban and regional planning lecturer Loudon Luka said a lot needs to be done if the on-going chaos in land allocation is to be dealt with.
“This is because of poor regulation that has characterised our urban settings. Apart from the city officials, Malawi Environmental Protection Authority [MEPA] also has a role to play. In the first place, factories should not be allowed to operate in residential areas. Or if they do, there should be strict restrictions that avoid emissions,” he said.
MEPA was not immediately available to comment on the matter despite several attempts.
