People in Fulatira Village, Traditional Authority M’bang’ombe in Lilongwe say they are ready to work with climate smart enhanced public works program (EPWP) and Government to cover fatal gullied landscapes which killed their two relations in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

One of the villagers Dalitso Kapika said the first man accidently fell in the gully with a bicycle he rode and died on spot. The second one fell in and died as he tried to pick his way over the gully.

 “There is need for us and government to join hands to cover this deep gully. Some have been filling the gully with sacks of soil but it has never worked,” says Kapika.

Some villagers reported that the gulley, which is about 800 metres long, is also posing a threat to lives of children including livestock that use the road which is side by side with the gully.

“We find it very difficult to control our children who look at gullies as source of fun yet it is a danger to their lives,” states Kapika.  

Some villagers reported that once cows fall in such heavy and deep gullies, they cannot be rescued but just slaughtered inside and sell the beef even if the owner did not plan for that.    

According to an extension worker in TA M’bang’ombe, Lilongwe, Chifundo Chikolokoto, apart from heavy and deep gullies, the area has lost soil fertility, realise low crop yields and is heavily deforested.

The area needs collaboration of all sectors namely forestry, agriculture, land resources to habilitate the catchment as well as improve the food security and other livelihoods like fish farming, woodlots, bee keeping, poultry farming, horticulture among others.

Selection criteria of EPWP catchments were based on results of mini surveys conducted in all TAs. The gravity of the environmental problems in the TAs were compared and the worse TAs were chosen.