By Salome Gangire

Neno, February 8, Mana: Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) Chief Executive Officer Dr Maxon Chitawo says the company is set to plant 35,000 trees in the 2024 tree planting season with an aim to conserve the catchment along the Shire River.

Chitawo was speaking Wednesday at Lisungwi Community Day Secondary School in Neno district during the official launch of EGENCO 2024 tree planting season where the company planted 5,000 trees at the school.

He said the initiative is aimed at mitigating siltation and debris which affect hydroelectric power generation at its stations located on the Shire River.

“Trees hold the soil and prevent it from eroding into the river which in turn prevents siltation of the dams,” Chitawo said.

Chitawo added that EGENCO has power plants along the Shire River which has tributaries from Mangochi, Balaka, Machinga, Neno and part of Blantyre going to Chikwawa and the power plants are cascaded from Nkula, Tedzani and Kapichila, adding very soon they will also plant trees at Tedzani and Kapichila.

He said the water which the company uses for power generation comes from these streams apart from the lake, saying the water comes with silt and trashes from upland and this is the reason they are planting trees to reduce erosion and siltation of rivers and prevent trash which goes into the water.

“Siltation reduces dam depth and water levels and at the same time power generation depends on the height of water, so when we lose height of water, we also lose power generation in the power stations,” he explained.

He said apart from the seedlings, EGENCO is also providing equipment, such as wheelbarrows, hoes, watering canes to schools and the village forest committees to be used for irrigating trees as they intend to achieve a 90 percent tree survival rate.

Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola commended EGENCO for the gesture, saying it is important to have catchments areas along Shire River well protected by planting trees, as deforestation and degradation affect electricity generation.

He, therefore, urged communities to protect trees, stressing they have a lot of socio-economic benefits, aside from protecting water catchment areas for power generation.

“You should not just plant trees but protect them so that they grow to minimize the impact that come because of environmental degradation,” Matola said.

President Lazarus Chakwera launched the 2024 tree planting season on January 18 this year in Phalombe district.