Chomanika addressing the gathering at the commemoration day in Nkhotakota
* Business persons should adopt sustainable practices; communities to champion conservation initiatives;
* Educators to instil environmental awareness in the youth, and every citizen to make conscious choices that minimise environmental footprint
By Austine Kananji, MANA
Minister of Natural Resources & Climate Change, Owen Chomanika urges Malawians to take a decisive action and shared responsibility and work together to protect natural heritage.
Advertisement
Chomanika said this yesterday during the joint commemoration of the 2025 International Day for Biological Biodiversity & World Environment Day held at Chongole Primary School in Nkhotakota, emphasising that time for decisive action is now and Malawians should embrace the shared responsibility.
He highlighted that government’s action alone is not enough as protecting the environment and biodiversity requires collective efforts that demands active participation of each and everyone.
“Let us renew our resolve to restore our land, protect our forests, and tackle the scourge of waste pollution,” he said. “Let this occasion serve not only as a moment of reflection but as a united commitment to bold, collective action for the future of Malawi.”
Dances spicing up the commemoration
Chomanika added that challenges like land degradation and deforestation — compounded by waste pollution, particularly from the plastics, which is non-biodegradable — has diminished biodiversity but also undermined natural systems that protect climate shocks and sustains water resources.
He, therefore, urged business persons to adopt sustainable practices; communities to champion conservation initiatives; educators to instil environmental awareness in the youth, and every citizen to make conscious choices that minimize environmental footprint.
Advertisement
Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Director General, Wilfred Kadewa said it is doable to end the escalating plastic pollution and the other interconnected challenges affecting the environment in order to have a clean environment.
“It requires us to take part and not be spectators as it is not just for MEPA or Department of Environment Affairs or Government because they are custodians — every stakeholder must play their role for a clean environment,” he said.
Ahead of the commemoration, Kadewa addressed a press briefing in Lilongwe on the status of enforcement of the regulations on the ban of thin plastics in Malawi where he updated that MEPA has strengthened the regulations and penalties to deter manufacturing companies.
Kadewa at the press briefing in Lilongwe
Kadewa stressed that thin plastics ban was issued to address issues of pollution in water bodies, soils and landscape — and its impact to wildlife and livestock, saying since the ban on manufacturing and use of thin plastics on February 10, 2025, MEPA has been conducting inspections to companies to ensure that they comply with the rules.
Advertisement
He added that while the majority of manufacturing companies are complying because they understand what the ban means, there is still a lot of plastics on the market which he said some are imported from neighboring countries.
MEPA has since engaged officials from Mchinji border to be on alert in order to intercept the contraband — that was declared so after Malawi developed the environment management (plastic regulations) in 2015, in response to the environmental and health problems associated with plastics.
The World Environment Day is commemorated on June 5 each year with this year’s commemorated under the theme; ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ while International Day of Biological Diversity, which is globally held on May 22, was being commemorated under the theme; ‘Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development’.—Edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
