Zomba residents urged to take care of trees

Zomba residents have been asked to look after trees in the city.

The call follows a tree planting exercise that members of Blantyre Press Club (BPC) in partnership with PUMA Malawi had at Chipiloni hill earlier this year.

Speaking during a tour that BPC executive members made to the hill, Assemblies of God pastor for Mtiya 1 Church, Dacklin Limbalo, urged communities around the hill to take good care
of the trees.

“Communities around must be responsible on these trees. We need trees every day and our relationship with these trees is to end when we die,” said Limbalo.

While commending the communities around for the care to the trees, one of the BPC executive members Ida Kazembe said the communities need to be civic educated on how they can make fire breaks.

“We are impressed as Blantyre Press Club in partnership with PUMA, we came here earlier this year to plant trees, quiet a good number of these trees have survived, the only problem we have been told was fire that destroyed some trees that we planted,” said Kazembe.

Kazembe further expressed hope that Chipiloni hill will recover its lost glory that was there before deforestation left it bare.

On her part, Village headwoman Likungwati appealed to well wishers to help the communities around Chipiloni hill with seedlings to replace trees that failed to survive the fire.

BPC members planted over 5000 seedlings at Chipiloni hill during a tree planting period this year that was opened by President Peter Mutharika.