Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) has set aside K10 million towards replanting of trees along tributaries of Shire River in order to avert low water levels Shire has been hit with.
Mera Board Chairperson Dingiswayo Jere disclosed that among other tributaries that they are targeting are Mwanza River in Mwanza and Likwenu River in Machinga.
He said low water levels in the river have been, among other factors, induced equally by stumpy water levels of tributaries.
“You have heard it all year round, Escom kept on announcing that it cannot generate to the full capacity due to low water levels in the Shire River. That is as a result of little rainfall that we keep on receiving. Now with the little rainfall that we receive, this keeps on reducing the energy we receive from the supplier,” said Jere.
Regarding other measures, the energy regulator is putting forward to conserve the environment, the board chairperson said they are into a long term project with the department of forestry where they want to promote farmer management resource regeneration, where Village Management Committees have to be promoted as well.
“Naturally, trees should regenerate by themselves other than planting every year. What I can say is most of the trees are already there at the forestry reserves or our gardens but those trees need to be conserved so that they can be given chance to regenerate,” he said.
Southern Region Assistant Zone Manager Sabina Manda revealed that Mwanza and Machinga are two of the districts worst hit by deforestation due to charcoal burning.
She said in line with this year’s theme ‘arrest deforestation, plant trees and conserve forests’ they raised about 2.5 million trees for the Southern Region alone.
“We are encouraging communities to plant in every space they have, gardens and village forest areas. To stop deforestation, replanting should at all cost be prioritized,” said Manda.
Meanwhile, Mera has planted over 11,500 trees in the districts of Machinga and Mwanza.
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