Blantyre Water Board will this year plant about 20 000 seedlings at Mudi Dam Catchment area in a bid to rehabilitate the area and preserve the dam.
Mudi Dam produces about 8000 cubic meters of water; its original design capacity is 45, 000 cubic meters.
After successfully removing encroachers from the catchment area in 2015, BWB embarked on afforestation programmes to revive the dam.
Last year, the BWB together with its partners planted over 40 000 seedlings around the catchment area.
According to BWB spokesperson Priscilla Mateyu, the board has recorded 70 percent survival rate on the trees that were planted last year.
Said Mateyu: “This season, we will plant on the Ndirande side of the catchment area and also replant where tree seedlings from last planting season didn’t survive,” she said.
She called upon Blantyre residents and surrounding areas to participate in rehabilitating the Mudi Dam Catchment.
Mateyu also encouraged schools to participate in the exercise saying children must learn the importance of trees in the water cycle.
She further called for donations of tree seedlings preferably Mbawa, Nthethe and Mtangatanga from individuals and organizations.
In the same vein, the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) is planning to plant 400 000 seedlings of Mulanje Cedar on Mulanje Mountain this rainy season.
MMCT programme officer-environmental education awareness and communications Kondwani Chamwala, said the exercise will start once 2017/2018 National tree planting season is launched.
Mulanje cedar is Malawi’s national tree found in Mulanje Mountain only. It was declared to be Malawi’s national tree in 1984 by Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Its scientific name is widringtonia whytei.
Recent reports indicate a reduction in the high value timber tree with about 37 percent in 30 years. The main cause being over exploitation and fire.
