Dear judge Mbadwa,
My Lord, we are just few days to the month of February and I am worried already. Promises, which are turning into lies, were made last December and even a little earlier that people of Nyasaland, who live in a self-inflicted darkness, will finally see light around this time.
My Lord, instead of seeing light at the end of the tunnel, we have managed to create a cacophony of high-pitched generators that are blaring at each and every street corner nationwide.
They have indeed become a true symbol of the failing power generation system under the wise and dynamic leadership of Mapuya.
Now, it is not the presence of the generators that has forced me to write you, My Lord, but the noise they are generating.
As citizens of this country, we are no longer safe from noise pollution and the Environment Management Act is being grossly being violated by this development, yet no one is being taken to account.
Our inner ears (cochleae) are being exposed to loud noise that can damage them and most citizens, especially children, are at risk of suffering hearing loss due to continued exposure to such loud sounds from generators.
We cannot blame owners of these generators because they are being forced into such action because of the incompetence of the power generating and supplying companies.
There is only one entity that is culpable in this case; government of People’s Demagogic Party.
We have every reason to believe that our right to a clean or healthy environment is being violated by the noise pollution.
My Lord, the law prescribes that a person who feels injured in this case should file a written complaint to a minister outlining the complaint where by the minister is expected to institute investigations within 30 days from the date of the complaint.
And there lies our problem. We cannot write to a minister or the Attorney General whose government is culpable in the matter of noise pollution.
Now, the Attorney General’s hands are in the present case tied and the government of Mapuya has, by failing to provide power all day to the people, forced individuals and companies to resort to generators.
My Lord, I also recognise that the minister has the power to prescribe environmental quality standards for noise pollution, but we feel he cannot stand on a high moral ground when his government and agencies’ actions are responsible for the same noise pollution.
We do not want to talk about the ugly spectacle the generators are causing and the increasing levels of toxins from the fumes that are being emitted. That will be an issue for another day.
We have literally become a nation of generators with everyone generating their own power. Would you also advise whether we can use the same suit to call for the deregistration of Egenco and Electricity Supply Corporation of Nyasaland as they have abrogated their responsibilities to ordinary citizens?
You, therefore, remain our only option because you can order the minister, or Mapuya, Egenco and Electricity supply Corporation of Nyasaland to restore our right to a clean and healthy environment.
My Lord, we ask your honourable court to summon the Minister responsible for energy, the power supplying and generating companies on this matter. Isn’t this case worth more than K70 billion in compensations that citizens should demand?
It is high time that authorities answered for their sins as the gen sets are becoming a public nuisance courtesy of you know who.
Thanks My Lord,
Jeniseti Phokoso
