By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, February 13, Mana: Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Michael Usi has encouraged Malawians to utilize the National Forestry Season by planting more trees along the river banks as one way of restoring and protecting the rivers and conserving the environment.

Usi said this on Monday during the tree-planting exercise in Traditional Authority (T/A) Machinjiri in Blantyre where he planted a tree along Chirimba River bank.

"Planting trees should not be an event but it should be our culture to restore and conserve the environment. So I am encouraging people that every day they should be planting trees, especially along the river banks in order to restore and protect the rivers.

"Subsequently, we shall restock these rivers with fish for people to benefit in terms of food and income. Government plans to utilize the water from the rivers to restock fish," he said.

Usi then advised communities to take good care of the planted trees so that its survival rate can improve.

He also called upon Malawians to always hold their authorities accountable for any government transactions, including the Constituency Development Fund, as one way of ensuring that the funds are used for the intended development projects.

Group Village Head Mdala has since hailed the Minister for his quest to protect the river banks.

Mdala, who represented T/A Machinjiri, said he will continue to mobilise people so that they can plant and take care of the trees even after the season in order to restore the degraded landscapes for the benefit of future generations.

President Lazarus Chakwera launched the forestry season in January 2023 under the theme 'Forest Innovation in Action: Reforestation for a Sustainable Tomorrow'.