Karonga trains 15 to manage catchment areas

Karonga District Council under the Enhanced Public Works Programme has drilled 15 frontline workers in watershed catchment management.

The district local government finance committee project officer Edward Ngwemba said on Wednesday in an interview that the knowledge imparted in the frontline workers will go a long way in enlightening members of the community on the importance of conserving the environment.

“Karonga is one of the districts prone to several disasters such as floods; hence, the need for people to be in the forefront in managing the environment,” he said

Ngwemba said floods experienced in the district are a result of wanton cutting down of trees and cultivating along river banks.

He urged frontline workers to intensify civic-education among beneficiaries identified from the Unified Beneficiary Registry who will be responsible for managing the watershed catchment area.

Thawilo Catchment Area Community Development assistant Blessing Buneya said the training was an eye-opener as it covered a number of areas as far as catchment management is concerned.

Buneya said unlike in Malawi Social Action Fund IV (Masaf IV) where people worked for some days and got paid, in Enhanced Public Works Programme people are taught to own the project for its sustainability.

He said: “The programme will assist us in managing our catchment areas because it will end the perception of taking the targeted catchment areas as government property.

“Let us team up and manage our catchment areas to avoid disasters that occur as a result of poor environmental management.”