Communities must be made clear that climate smart enhanced public works program (EPWP) mainly focuses on environmental restoration rather than only on road and bridge construction says Dowa district acting director of planning and development (DPD) Yusuf Lacki.

The DPD was speaking in Salima in February during an integrated catchment management (ICM) training for extension workers and district environmental sub-committee (DESC) members.  

ICM calls for collaboration of several topics such as forestry, agriculture, hydrology, ecology, soils, climatology and other sciences.

Lacki recalls, “In the previous PWP, communities could undertake some programmes that were outside environmental management activities, for example, they were able to do some road shaping, irrigation activities which were not environmental activities per se.”

The focus of EPWP is basically on land resources management and nature conservation. So, we want to make sure the message is properly carried to the communities about the difference between these two projects to avoid conflict of understanding.

He said after the training, the extension workers from selected EPWP catchments would train communities who will form catchment management committees (CMCs) that will fulfill a number functions.

 According to acting DPD, the committee shall also be responsible for procurement of own project materials depending on focus of their prioritized activities which could be afforestation, fish ponds, compost manure making, bee keeping among others.

Making a presentation on composition and functions of the committees, Nkhota kota district irrigation engineer Brains Kalambo said the CMCs will also be responsible for identification of watershed problems and opportunities, coach colleague farmers in all steps of planning, and implementation, coordinate and mobilize community members and resources required from the community (labour and local materials).

Kalambo added the committee will also undertake supervision and monitoring of watershed activities and reporting of interventions including serving as permanent contacts with the extension workers.

The committee shall comprise both men and women, all three wealth categories, that is; better off, medium and poor, representatives from villages in upstream, middle and downstream parts.

Watershed management is the process of creating and implementing plans, programs and projects and enhance wetland functions that affect plant, animal and human communities within a wetland/watershed boundary.