Malawi’s road reserves are slowly disappearing beneath abandoned vehicles and scrap metal, leaving cities with less public space and growing risks of pollution and road-safety problems.
At least 42 informal car graveyards have emerged along a six-kilometre stretch of Chidzanja Road passing through Biwi, Kaliyeka and Kawale in Lilongwe.
The proliferation of these sites is raising concerns over the loss of public space, road safety, environmental pollution and the ability of cities to manage rapidly expanding informal economic activities.
Vehicles that should be processed through organised scrapyards are instead being stripped, abandoned or stored indefinitely along road reserves.
The practice is particularly visible in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, where roadside spaces are increasingly being used as informal vehicle-breaking and spare-parts yards.
The economic value involved is substantial, with vehicles and spare parts concentrated along the Chidzanja Road sites estimated to be worth between K7 million and K560 million.
The informal automotive sector nevertheless provides affordable spare parts to motorists and supports livelihoods for traders, mechanics and other workers across Malawi.
The growing concern is therefore not simply about the existence of the second-hand spare-parts trade, but where and how the business is being conducted.
Some operators are reportedly dismantling relatively newer imported vehicles carrying “In Transit” labels because breaking the vehicles for parts can generate higher returns than selling them intact.
Individual components can command significant prices, adding to the financial incentives behind the rapidly expanding trade.
However, the continued occupation of road reserves creates a wider public-interest problem because these areas are intended for roads and associated infrastructure rather than permanent commercial storage.
Malawi’s road laws restrict the erection or alteration of structures on road reserves without the required written consent.
The Physical Planning Act also gives planning authorities powers to control unauthorised development and take enforcement action where necessary.
Environmental regulations provide another layer of protection because waste-handling, storage, transportation and disposal activities are subject to environmental controls.
The environmental risks associated with poorly managed vehicle-breaking operations include oil, battery fluids, metals and other potentially hazardous materials entering soil and drainage systems.
Without proper containment and waste-management systems, these substances can create risks for surrounding communities and the urban environment.
The challenge facing city authorities is therefore to balance the economic importance of the informal spare-parts industry with the need to protect public land, road infrastructure and environmental health.
Instead of simply removing traders without providing alternatives, councils could work with planning and environmental authorities to establish properly regulated automotive and scrapyard zones.
Such facilities could provide secure vehicle-storage areas, concrete working surfaces, controlled drainage, oil and fluid collection systems and designated locations for scrap processing.
Authorities could also introduce simplified licensing and registration systems for legitimate operators while requiring minimum standards for handling batteries, oils, metals and other potentially hazardous materials.
Regular inspections would allow councils and environmental authorities to identify operators who comply with the rules and take action against those who continue to occupy protected public spaces illegally.
The return of effective municipal enforcement mechanisms would also help prevent road reserves from becoming permanent commercial storage areas.
Malawi’s cities are expanding rapidly, making proper management of limited public land increasingly important.
The car graveyard problem therefore presents both an environmental warning and an opportunity to formalise an economic sector that supports thousands of livelihoods.
The long-term solution lies in moving vehicle-breaking activities away from road reserves and into properly planned, licensed and environmentally managed facilities while preserving access to affordable spare parts.
Without decisive planning and enforcement, valuable road reserves could continue disappearing piece by piece beneath abandoned vehicles, scrap metal and informal commercial activity.
At least 42 informal car graveyards have emerged along a six-kilometre stretch of Chidzanja Road passing through Biwi, Kaliyeka and Kawale in Lilongwe.
The proliferation of these sites is raising concerns over the loss of public space, road safety, environmental pollution and the ability of cities to manage rapidly expanding informal economic activities.
Vehicles that should be processed through organised scrapyards are instead being stripped, abandoned or stored indefinitely along road reserves.
The practice is particularly visible in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, where roadside spaces are increasingly being used as informal vehicle-breaking and spare-parts yards.
The economic value involved is substantial, with vehicles and spare parts concentrated along the Chidzanja Road sites estimated to be worth between K7 million and K560 million.
The informal automotive sector nevertheless provides affordable spare parts to motorists and supports livelihoods for traders, mechanics and other workers across Malawi.
The growing concern is therefore not simply about the existence of the second-hand spare-parts trade, but where and how the business is being conducted.
Some operators are reportedly dismantling relatively newer imported vehicles carrying “In Transit” labels because breaking the vehicles for parts can generate higher returns than selling them intact.
Individual components can command significant prices, adding to the financial incentives behind the rapidly expanding trade.
However, the continued occupation of road reserves creates a wider public-interest problem because these areas are intended for roads and associated infrastructure rather than permanent commercial storage.
Malawi’s road laws restrict the erection or alteration of structures on road reserves without the required written consent.
The Physical Planning Act also gives planning authorities powers to control unauthorised development and take enforcement action where necessary.
Environmental regulations provide another layer of protection because waste-handling, storage, transportation and disposal activities are subject to environmental controls.
The environmental risks associated with poorly managed vehicle-breaking operations include oil, battery fluids, metals and other potentially hazardous materials entering soil and drainage systems.
Without proper containment and waste-management systems, these substances can create risks for surrounding communities and the urban environment.
The challenge facing city authorities is therefore to balance the economic importance of the informal spare-parts industry with the need to protect public land, road infrastructure and environmental health.
Instead of simply removing traders without providing alternatives, councils could work with planning and environmental authorities to establish properly regulated automotive and scrapyard zones.
Such facilities could provide secure vehicle-storage areas, concrete working surfaces, controlled drainage, oil and fluid collection systems and designated locations for scrap processing.
Authorities could also introduce simplified licensing and registration systems for legitimate operators while requiring minimum standards for handling batteries, oils, metals and other potentially hazardous materials.
Regular inspections would allow councils and environmental authorities to identify operators who comply with the rules and take action against those who continue to occupy protected public spaces illegally.
The return of effective municipal enforcement mechanisms would also help prevent road reserves from becoming permanent commercial storage areas.
Malawi’s cities are expanding rapidly, making proper management of limited public land increasingly important.
The car graveyard problem therefore presents both an environmental warning and an opportunity to formalise an economic sector that supports thousands of livelihoods.
The long-term solution lies in moving vehicle-breaking activities away from road reserves and into properly planned, licensed and environmentally managed facilities while preserving access to affordable spare parts.
Without decisive planning and enforcement, valuable road reserves could continue disappearing piece by piece beneath abandoned vehicles, scrap metal and informal commercial activity.
