Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) and Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) have joined forces to conserve trees along Lilongwe River.

The two institutions planted 6 000 trees along Malingunde stretch on Friday and urged the surrounding communities to take ownership of the trees.

LWB board member Lingalireni Mihowa said apart from planting the trees, the institution is also promoting briquette making as a substitute of charcoal.

She said: “We realised that many people rely on charcoal as their source of income, so we had to quickly substitute that.

Kakhobwe Chapota planting a tree

“We engaged the communities in briquette making and we are happy that they have embraced the technology.”

MHC board chairperson the Reverend Jaleck Kachiwanda said the corporation, as a player in the construction industry, takes keen interest in tree-planting and interventions aimed at protecting the trees.

He said: “If you have seen, we are promoting construction using cement blocks and discouraging use of burnt bricks. But still that does not mean that the construction industry does not need trees.

“That is why we take interest in tree-planting initiatives.”

On her part, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Liana Kakhobwe Chapota said water boards should lead in tree-planting to ensure that their catchment areas are well covered to have water throughout the year.

She said once the trees have been planted, there should be collaboration between the boards and communities to ensure that the trees survive

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