By: Martha Simchimba

Lilongwe; September 27, Mana. The Malawi Environmental Health Association (MEHA) has called on people in the country to use climate mitigation and adaptation methods such as planting more trees in order to prevent harsh conditions caused by climate change.

Lilongwe District Environment Health Officer (DEHO), Gloria Guzani, was speaking Thursday at Wakawaka Market in Lilongwe during the commemoration of World Environmental Health Day.

“Every year, millions of people across the globe including Malawi, face the devastating consequences of floods, droughts, hurricanes, and other disasters due to the effects of climate change.

“Ddisasters whether natural or human-made, have the potential to retard the progress of any development and poverty reduction, therefore, we must take a proactive approach by integrating disaster risk reduction into our daily lives," she said.

Guzani explained that it is not enough to be responding to disasters when they occur saying there is need to work collectively to prevent the occurrences for becoming humanitarian crises.

She said educating and empowering local communities to assess risks, prepare for emergencies, and build a culture of resilience to ensure sustainable development for future generations is of paramount importance.

On his part, President of Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS), Billy Kayange, who is also studying environmental health at Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS) said there is need for youth to be in the forefront in conserving the environment to avoid the effects of climate change such as disasters.

“We say the youth are the future leaders, therefore, we should be in the forefront on civic educating the people to stop polluting the environment, avoid bush fires and instead they should plant more trees so that we conserve the environment," he said.

The event which was organized by MEHA was aimed at raising awareness on the impact of climate change and risks faced globally.

Health Surveillance Disease Control Assistants (HSDCA) workers and students pursuing Environmental Health from Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS) were the main key participants.

World Environmental Health Day is commemorated every year on September 26 and this year it is commemorated under the theme "Creating Resilient Communities through Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation."