People formulate by-laws to protect woodlots

People of Thabilo in Senior Chief Mwilang’ombe in Karonga have formulated by-laws to conserve woodlots created in catchment areas through the Enhanced Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Speaking in an interview, village development committee chairperson Bright Mwenelupembe said Thabilo is one of the areas where people are affected by strong winds and floods.

He said they established woodlots to protect the area from floods and protect the health centre from strong winds.

Said Mwenelupembe: “So, we formulated by-laws to protect the woodlots.

“Anyone found grazing livestock in the woodlots will pay a fine of K10 000, but punishment will vary depending on the extent of damage.”

The area’s community development assistant officer Blessings Bunaya asked people to comply with the by-laws.

“This year the flow of water was controlled because we planted trees in the area,” he said.

Thabilo Catchment Area has 11 800 trees planted in its woodlots under EPWP.

The World Bank-funded programme is running in 10 districts, namely Chitipa, Karonga, Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Dowa, Lilongwe, Balaka, Chiradzulu, Phalombe and Blantyre.