K28.6m project to conserve environment

Blantyre district commissioner Alex Mdooko has urged community members to focus on activities aimed at restoring the environment in the district.

He said this on Tuesday when he presided over the presentation of  K28.6  million Community Environmental Conservation funds to Mkaladzi and Nkajidi sub- catchment committees in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kunthembwe upon the successful implementation of sustainable land management activities in their areas.

The money is a grant and will be used to provide micro-credit to community members involved in implementing village level action plan activities under Malawi Watershed Services Improvement project (Mwasip) and is accessible to all community members within the catchment areas involved in the landscape restoration programmes.

Speaking during the handover of the funds at Youth Resource Centre in the area, Mdooko cautioned communities against indulging in businesses that destroy the environment.

“It is disheartening to learn that many community members in T/A Kunthembwe cut down trees for charcoal business and surprisingly, they have turned this into their reliable source of income for survival,” he said.

Mdooko, therefore, urged the sub-catchment committees to utilise the money to adopt sustainable landscape management practices such as soil and land conservation through tree-planting and other activities.

Nkajidi Sub-Catchment chairperson Eneless Lungu said  the money has motivated them to conserve the environment.

“We will also formulate by-laws to protect the environment,” she said.

Mwasip district project coordinator Olive Vokhiwa said the community members earned the grant due to their hard-work as they follow good agricultural practices.