Rumphi chiefs welcome power project        

Traditional leaders in Rumphi have thrown their weight behind the proposed construction of Fufu Hydro Power Project, saying it would help transform Malawi’s economy by addressing current power shortages.

The chiefs made the observation on Wednesday when Norplan of Norway, which has been granted a contract to conduct an environmental and social impact assessment, held a briefing with various interest groups in Rumphi.

“We have received this project with open arms. We are currently facing power supply problems in the country, hence this project is coming at an opportune moment,” said Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe.

However, he appealed to government to look into the compensation of displaced people to facilitate the smooth implementation of the project.

Sub-Traditional Authority Njikula, whose area will be the epicentre of the project and holds the majority of 300 households which will lose land upon implementation of the project, agreed with Chikulamayembe.

“Issues of rights and freedoms need to be respected. Some people are bound to be reluctant to move if they are not compensated,” he observed.

The project’s design proposes the construction of a 140 metre high dam on Rukuru River which would create a large reservoir in the valley upstream. The river flow will be diverted through an underground tunnel to a powerhouse north of Mlowe.

Water will also be redirected from a small dam on the North Rumphi River and channelled through a tunnel connected to the South Rukuru River reservoir via the Jalawe River.

Team leader of MultConsult /Norplan, Jorn Stave, said should the project be implemented using the proposed design, it would automatically have both social and environmental impact in the area surrounding the site.

“The most critical issue is that it [the proposed dam] will inundate the land upstream from the dam. We know that there are people living and cultivating their gardens there.

“So that will have a social impact that will have to be addressed. Those people will need to be compensated properly,” he observed.