By Emily M'mangisa

Zomba, January 25, Mana: Community Energy Malawi, a non-governmental organization promoting use of solar technologies has appealed to chiefs in Zomba to champion planting of trees in graveyards to ensure adequate vegetative cover to check land degradation and other factors that compromise the environment.

Speaking on Friday at Mkanda at Senior Chief Mlumbe’s area, Community Energy Malawi Programme Director, Memory Suwedi, said most of the graveyards were bare due to increased deforestation.

Suwedi said graveyards used to have good vegetative cover, observing that no one was allowed to cut a tree in such areas.

“We have gone very far with deforestation; our resting places that were always respected and feared are bare. May I therefore urge chiefs to dress up our graveyards in their tree planting drive,” she added.

The Programme Director said, as part of contributing to national forestry season, the organization has distributed 5,000 seedlings of both exotic and indigenous tree species to cooperatives in the district.

Assistant Forestry Officer at Zomba District Council, Yassin Lamusi also urged community members to actively take part in addressing challenges associated with deforestation that also ignite land degradation.

Senior Chief Mulumbe, lamented increased irresponsible cutting down of trees, which he said become a norm in his area and many parts of the district.

“It is saddening that those that destroy the environment know no boundaries. They are really encroaching graveyards, places remaining with trees,” the chief added.

Mlumbe pledged to enforce by-laws to check tree cutting in all areas including graveyards, adding that that he will mobilize his subjects to play an active role in the current forestry season by planting many tree seedlings.

Chairperson of Shukurani Bakery Cooperative, Twaeina Mgaye whose group received tree seedlings from Community Energy said, tree planting in bare areas was the way to go, considering that firewood is largely used in bakery apart from other household chores.

Community Energy also promised to introduce solar technology to replace over dependency on firewood in bakery and other undertakings, saying this will be done under a project called Large Solar Ovens for Bakery Cooperatives.