By Milcah Mathias and Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, November 19, Mana: District Commissioner for Blantyre, Alex Mdooko on Tuesday presided over Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP) open day, which was meant to highlight various activities that are implemented under the project in the districts to restore the environment.

Speaking during the open day at Kunthembwe Youth Resource Centre, Traditional Authority Kunthembwe in Blantyre, Mdooko appealed to community members to play an active role in conserving the environment.

“We need a better world. Let us participate in activities that are meant to conserve the environment without waiting for donors to fix our environmental problems.

“MWASIP is there to help us protect our environment. We must restore the environment and practice good farming practices that should contribute to the economic growth of the country," said Mdooko.

He therefore advised community members to adopt family planning methods, saying family planning methods help to control family sizes, considering that rapid population growth puts huge pressure on natural resources including high rates of deforestation.

Senior Chief Kunthembwe expressed gratitude for MWASIP, saying apart from mobilizing communities to adopt improved soil and water conservation technologies, the project improved income at household level through matching grants that help community members to run small-scale businesses thereby reducing charcoal production and other forms of deforestation.

“Many people in the community adopt technologies in soil conservation, I will encourage fellow members to continue implementing activities under MWASIP even after the project phases out because the project is really a life changer,” the senior chief added.

Some of the activities that spiced up the event included drama performances, testimony by one of the lead farmers and cinema displays of what MWASIP does in the district.

Blantyre District MWASIP Coordinator, Owen Malimba said that activities under MWASIP in the catchments have been impressive because the participating communities managed to surpass half of the targets, which were supposed to be achieved by the end of 2026.

“We focus on capacity building, and we have structures that are put in place across catchments which are there to carry over after the project phases out," said Malimba.

He therefore advised communities in the catchments to continue conserving the environment to minimize climate change effects.

MWASIP is a government of Malawi project with funding of the World Bank implemented in Blantyre, Neno, Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi, Ntcheu and Balaka districts.