LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Readers, would like to introduce to you, “Environmental Close Up’ on Sunday” on The Maravi Post, the page that will be coming to you on every Sunday.
The column will be tackling serious environmental issues; mining, land, water, sanitation, wildlife, climate change, disaster risk management and policies and legal frameworks.
The page expects readers to contribute on any serious matter that needs authority attention towards environmental management.
For a start, this week as we celebrate Christmas and New Year 2018, the page tackles little sip on power outages Malawi has experience almost the whole year, 2017;
Festive season is here; Christmas and New Year eve. However as celebration jingle bells ring across the world, the glitz and glamour, one thing Malawians are unhappy with is on power outages.
As Malawi joins the rest of the world in celebrating Christmas—a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ—which this year falls on Monday, the citizenry should brace for a quieter festival with power blackouts expected to dampen the season’s mood.
This is the worst of the country’s history of having electricity blackout for about two days without power that has paralyzed all spheres of life.
Despite warnings that are associated with the festival to avoid regrets there is nothing Malawians will smile at with blackout.
This is happening when an excuse on low level of water in the Lake Malawi and Shire River has improved due to rains pouring across the nation.
There is no clearly explanation from both the utility generator and supplier, Electricity Generation Company Limited (Egenco) Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) respectively on status core power availability during this festive season.
Due to power outages experience almost three quarter of 2017, small-scale businesses including hairdressers, welding, and maize mill among others have ended people with nothing in their pockets which might affect the celebration mood.
Escom spokesperson George Mituka could not guarantee an improved supply of electricity during the season.
Mituka disclosed that the utility body was upbeat about utilising power saved from industry, which might shutdown for holidays.
“If the power supply situation improves, distribution will also improve. Besides this, on the demand side, it is expected that most industries will shut down for Christmas.
“If this happens, we expect that there will be less demand from industry and this freed capacity will be channeled to domestic customers,” Mituka said.
Six of the country’s seven hydro-electric power plants-Nkula A and B, Tedzani, I, II and III, and Kapichira lie along the Shire River as only Wovwe mini hydro-electric power station is located in Karonga.
Is there any hope for the country on provision of power as we are approaching the New Year, 2018? Is the authority doing enough to avert the situation for the better?
Send your input on “Environmental Close Up’ on Sunday” to: lloydmbwana.4@gmail.com
