The Lilongwe City Council has embarked on K100 million Lilongwe Rivers Ecological Corridor Initiative which seeks to restore the city’s rivers to their natural state.
Speaking with reporters after a media briefing and site tour, Director of Parks and Recreation Allan Kwanjana said plans are underway to engage the citizens on the project in considering that they are first people to benefit.
Kwanjana added that the project that is costing One Hundred Million Malawi kwacha is expected to run for five years.
“As you know Lilongwe is surrounded by natural rivers such as Lilongwe River, Lingadzi River and other streams and they form a good ecosystem which currently is in danger due to environmental degradation.
“The aim of this project is to try to restore the natural state of this ecosystem,” he said.
The Manager of Lilongwe Wildlife Center Ian Dheygere commended the council for the project which he said will help to ease some challenges that they have been facing as a center.
He said they want to put Lilongwe on the map as a tourist attraction and also to civic educate people on the importance of conserving nature and wildlife.
Association of Environment Journalist (AEJ) President Mathews Malata complained that due to high population people are encroaching such areas which result to flooding but there is hope that the project will help to reduce the issue of flooding and people in the city will be able to conserve the environment.
