Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Liana Kakhobwe Chapota says it is important for stakeholders in the water sector to plant more trees in order to conserve water sources.
Chapota made the remarks on Friday at Kamuzu Dam at Malingunde in Lilongwe where Lilongwe Water Board in partnership with Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) planted over 6,000 trees.
The deputy minister said planting trees should be a habit such that trees should not only be planted in the rainy season but also during dry season.
“We really need to plant more trees. There is an undeniable relationship between trees and water resources because trees give a good vegetative cover in as far as water resources are concerned and are also important in terms of water sustainability,” Chapota said.
Lilongwe Water Board director Lingalireni Mihowa said there is a lot of pollution around Dzalanyama Reserve which is the catchment for Lilongwe River and this affects the quality of water available to the board.
“That is why we are here to support communities around Kamuzu Dam 1 and 2 in terms of planting trees so that we can preserve the catchment area for Lilongwe River which in turn supports our ability to supply quality water to Lilongwe City,” said Mihowa.
She added that the board is also engaging the communities around Dzalanyama Forest Reserve in briquettes making to deter them from cutting trees at Dzalanyama Forest and is also conducting various activities with young people so that they are part and parcel of the conservation efforts.
Mihowa further said that the communities around Malingunde also benefit in terms of access to potable piped water supplied by the board.
Member of Parliament for the area Peter Dimba said it is important to focus on afforestation because Malawi can also benefit by selling carbon credits apart from protecting water sources.
