The Blantyre rotary club in partnership with Blantyre Water Board (BWB), Wildlife and Environment Society of Malawi and Jacaranda Foundation on Saturday planted over 1000 trees in the Mude Catchment area in Makheta Township in Blantyre.
The initiative was part of the drive to boost water levels and quality in BWB’s Mudi Dam. Blantyre Rotary club president Chris Chirwa said they are actively involved in environmental initiatives “to ensure that we leave the world a better place that we found it, especially for the future generations. I call in the country’s citizens to take on this initiative of planting trees, according to the current statistics there is need to plant over one million trees this planting season. The country has seen over the past years a reduction of the water levels in the dams and lakes which are of significant importance to the country. The country has been losing its catchment area because of over usage of the season against an increase in the country’s population.”
Chirwa also urged Malawians not only to plant trees, but also to monitor the same to ensure that there’s a high survival rate. “Special thanks to all Rotarians and all people of good will who assisted in this noble course.”
On his part, BWB water quality and environmental officer Joe Chimeta said the tree-planting campaign was initiated in 2015 and so far, 300 000 trees have been planted against the one million trees’ requirement. “So there is still work to do. When the catchment area was encroached, it affected water levels and quality, but since the tree-planting drive started, there has been a notable improvement,” he said.
(Source: The Nation Malawi, 27th December 2018)