At the foot of Chimphako Hills in Traditional Authority Njombwa at the southern tip of Kasungu district sits Chivunika Village, a fishing and farming community sandwiched between the hills on the western side and Bua River to the east.
Village Headman Chivunika, a farmer himself, says for years, the community’s lifeblood has been the ever-flowing Bua River which supports the village through irrigation farming and fishing activities.
“We rely on the river for our irrigation farming. We have a scheme where we cultivate maize, beans and vegetables which we sell to various offtakers.
“Apart from farming business, we are also into fishing. There is a lot of fish in Bua River. That’s how we have been earning our living here for years,” he says.
However, Chivunika is worried that the massive deforestation in the hills has exposed the village to agricultural risks in that the uncontrolled runoff descending the hills has contributed to untold erosion of arable land, leading to dwindling yield in the recent years.
“It is concerning that the situation now is not as it used to be in the recent past. We have destroyed all the trees in the hills leading to formation of deep gullies that run down up to our farm land.
“On the other hand, the speeding water carry with it a lot of trash that is deposited in the river and slowly we will lose the river to siltation. If that happens, both our fishing and irrigation farming activities will be disturbed,” he says.
Jessie Banda of Kamzoole Village in the area agrees with Chivunika that there has been large scale destruction of trees in the hills, largely due to tobacco farming, expansion of agricultural land, over-dependence on wood energy, settlements, tobacco curing and brick burning, resulting in low crop yields as most of the arable land has been destroyed.
“The river is also under threat because of siltation. It is a situation that has to be reversed,” she says.
Environmental District Officer for Kasungu, Herbert Bolokonya, says Bua River is exhibiting signs of environmental deterioration and is under various threats, primarily the risk of siltation due to riverbank cultivation and rampant deforestation, which exacerbates erosion.
Bolokonya says the compromised state of the river poses high risks to the ecological relevance of the 255-kilometre long water body which snakes down from Mchinji Hills through Lilongwe, Dowa, Kasungu and Nkhotakota to vomit its water into Lake Malawi.
He says: “Bua River holds immense ecological importance for both Kasungu and the nation of Malawi, as it serves as a critical breeding ground for the prized Mpasa fish, which migrates upstream during certain times of the season to spawn.
“Additionally, the river passes through two game reserves, being Kasungu National Park and Nkhotakota Game Reserve, enriching these areas with water sources vital for diverse fauna populations and providing essential habitat.”
According to Bolokonya, it is imperative to recognise that protecting the Bua River is not merely a choice but a priority for both decision makers and the beneficiary communities.
“As a perennial river, Bua holds significant potential for hydroelectric power generation and large-scale irrigation projects.
“However, if current trends persist unchecked, the river may face reduced flow rates during certain times of the year. Thus, urgent action is needed to ensure the sustainable management and preservation of the river for future generations,” he says.
On his part, District Forestry Officer for Kasungu, Henry Kagulo, describes the deforestation that has occurred in most parts of the district, including along Bua River, as a significant environmental challenge with far-reaching consequences.
“The deforested state of the district indicates the loss of valuable natural resources and the degradation of the local ecosystem. This phenomenon has left our district in a significantly altered state, impacting both the landscape and the overall ecological balance.
“A lot of forested areas have been cleared, resulting in the fragmentation and isolation of remaining forested areas, and satellite imagery indicates a stark contrast from lush green canopies to barren landscapes, highlighting the magnitude of the challenge we face,” Kagulo adds.
Sensing the looming disaster, the communities in the area have resolved to be part of the wider efforts to protect the river whose total catchment spans 10,700 square kilometres.
Organised under the umbrella of Chatalala Catchment through the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP), communities in Chivunika have embarked on conservation activities to save their farm land and Bua River.
Secretary for the catchment, Mike Mdambo, says their resolve is a mission to protect their future through conservation of the natural assets that support their living.
“So far we have reclaimed the gullies that were formed at Chiphako Hills running down to our crop fields.
“We have also planted 21,000 trees at the hills and also close to the Bua River bed. We hope that these efforts will help to check runoff and thereafter restore our gardens and prevent the continued siltation of the river,” he says.
Mdambo says the community has also enacted bylaws to punish those that destroy trees to ensure that their forests are restored to their former glory.
“We have arranged that animals should be grazing in their designated places and not just willy-nilly as it used to be. This is to ensure that we protect the trees that we have planted and also promote the natural regeneration of vegetation.
“Additionally, we have made bylaws that if a person destroys one tree, he or she will have to plant 100 trees. We want to inculcate a spirit of ownership in all the conservation activities we are conducting to ensure that they are sustained even when the project phases out,” he says.
Comprising 500 members, 300 of which being women, Chatalala catchment is one of Kasungu district’s 23 catchments taking part in the CS-EPWP which is a component of the Social Support and Livelihood Programme which the government is implementing with support from the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
Overall, the CS-EPWP aims at restoring the environment to shrug off climate change shocks that threaten people’s livelihood while at the same time building livelihood resilience for the poor and vulnerable households.
The interventions under the CS-EPWP are centred on land and soil conservation through such activities as construction of swales, stone bands, ridge alignment, marker ridging and vettiva grass planting, tree nursery establishment and promoting natural regeneration of vegetation.
Specifically, the assets created during the implementation of the project help in the reduction of soil erosion and improve soil moisture retention that helps in plant growth.
Additionally, the gully control measures help farmers to turn unproductive areas into productive land while the constructed storm water drains assist to reduce uncontrolled runoff.
Through the CS-EPWP alone, communities in the district are expected to plant at least 500,000 trees, which is about 14 percent of the district’s overall target of 3.5 million trees to be planted this season.
The project’s coordinator for Kasungu, Ignatius Lipato, says he is excited that the communities have realised the relevance of the interventions such that they take full ownership of the activities.
“It is encouraging to note that the communities such as those under Chatalala Catchment have accepted that the solution to environmental challenges they are facing lies in their own efforts to build assets that will help restore the landscapes.
“We are happy as a district that the project has been embraced such that there are high hopes for sustainability of the conservation activities being undertaken,” Lipato says.
Beyond mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity, conservation efforts provide essential ecosystem services such as clean air, water, soil erosion control, and fertile soil and act as a natural buffer against natural disasters, support livelihoods, and enhance the overall quality of life for communities.
As demonstrated by the communities at Chatalala Catchment, “conservation is a shared responsibility that transcends individual actions, calling for collaboration, innovation, and a collective commitment to ensure that natural assets thrive for generations to come,” Kagulo concludes.
By Wanangwa Tembo
