Lilongwe City Counci in conjunction with the National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) on Monday launched the Lilongwe City tree planting season at the Area 18  Traffic interchange.

Lilongwe City Mayor Richard Banda and Nocma acting chief executive officer Micklas Reuben led the tree planting exercise.

Banda said the exercise is the start of an ongoing campaign to restore forest cover in the capital city.

He said: “We have an ongoing campaign in Lilongwe dubbed ‘Keep the City Green’. We urge residents in the city to own this campaign and make it a habit to plant trees around their homes and in their communities.

Reuben plants a tree at the launch

The exercise comes after residents cut down several trees in the city to pave the way for the construction of roads and buildings which has worsened climate changes related weather shocks such as floods and heat waves.

Banda said replanting trees will help contain erratic weather patterns, cool the city, provide shade to residents and make the city resilient to floods.

Reuben said Nocma has a responsibility to clean the environment due to the nature of its business.

He said: “As a company, we deal with oil and gas which emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. By taking part in the tree planting exercise, we have contributed towards cleaning the environment and keeping the air unsullied and pure”.

Reuben boss also said the decision to launch the exercise at the interchange was unique because it will bring about beautiful natural scenery.

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