By Simeon Shumba
Communities of Traditional Authority Mlumbe in Zomba district have hailed government for introducing the Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP).
Speaking during an interface organized by the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources-LUANAR in Zomba, President of Ngunga Catchment Management Committee (CMC) James Edwel said MWASIP has brought relief among communities in the area.
“This project is going to assist us in addressing a number of challenges we failed to overcome during the previous project of the Shire River Basin Management program on issues to do with environmental management,” Edwel said.
One of the beneficiaries of MWASIP Ethel Sayenda, 30, of Village Headman Chibwana in the district said the project has come at a right time when the area especially Zomba mountain is facing serious challenges of deforestation.
Sayenda said: “Issues of charcoal burning and cutting down of trees wantonly are very rampant hence pausing a threat to our lives and farming activities.
“Through MWASIP activities we believe that our land will be restored while in the process boosting agricultural production.”
Speaking during the interface, Senior Group Village headman Skamu urged his subjects to own the project for both smooth implementation and enhanced sustainability.
“You see, some projects have not fully delivered on their expected outcomes due to lack of community ownership of such interventions. I am appealing to my people to own this project from its onset,” he emphasized.
On his part, LUANAR Director of Research and Outreach Sam Katengeza said the CMCs have a crucial role to play in overseeing activities in the catchment area under MWASIP.
Katengeza who is also a technical team leader for the MWASIP at LUANAR said the University is supporting government in a number of areas including Bio-physical and ecological monitoring and also impact evaluation, baseline and midline studies.
The 157 million US dollar 6 year project is funded by the World Bank with a 3 million US dollar contribution from the Malawi Government.