Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) has distributed 3 000 environmentally friendly cook stoves to people in Machinga District to help conserve the environment.
In an interview, Egenco chief executive officer William Liabunya said energy saver cook stoves are significant in rejuvenating the country’s degraded environment.
The cook stoves, worth K3 million, were distributed in conjunction with the United Purpose (UP).
The stoves were distributed in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Sitolo in the district.
Liabunya said the stoves aim to reduce the wanton cutting down of trees which are used as firewood and for making charcoal.
Machinga is part of the catchment area for Shire River, which is a source of 90 percent of hydropower generation for Egenco.
Liabunya said the stoves use little firewood and not charcoal, a development that may reduce the destruction of the trees and increase vegetative cover that will attract precipitation and increase water levels in the Shire River.
UP programmes manager for sustainable energy Lloyd Archer urged the communities to use the cook stoves.
In his remarks, T/A Sitolo called on his subjects to utilise the stoves effectively, saying aside from affecting electricity generation, the degraded environment is also affecting agricultural production.
“Let us remember that trees are crucial in our livelihood, and as a nation, we shall be held accountable for prolonged disasters and other catastrophes that may hit the country if we continue fail to manage protected areas prudently,” he said. n
