Karonga District Council Forestry Department has described extension workers as instrumental in bringing mindset change among the rural masses on the importance of conserving the environment in their catchment area.

KDC Forestry Officer Christopher Chirwa made the remarks Tuesday in Karonga district during the opening of a four-day training of frontline staff on tree nursery establishment, soil and water management.

He said with the new approach that the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) has taken through the Enhanced Public Works Programme (EPWP) that the community should take ownership in managing the environment, extension workers are therefore supposed to be in the forefront in the project.

“These people have now been empowered to manage their catchment areas. They will have their own bank account, they will procure everything that they will require for this programe and we are optimistic that this will be achievable,” he said

However, Chirwa warned the extension workers and the community at large to use the resources that will be given to them for the intended purpose saying any corrupt practices involved will not be entertained.

He said through this project the council is expecting that the people from the chosen five pilot micro catchment areas of Thawilo, Wiliro, Lufilya Chikutu and Iponga in the district will plant more trees hence reduce runoff and disasters.

In his remarks, one of the participants Daniel Soko a Community Development Assistant for Chikutu catchment area said the training will go a long way on improving the failures that have been there before on catchment management.

“In the past everything was done at council level. Evening having a capacity building like this one was a challenge, but with this new approach by NLGFC through the EPWP I hope many areas will be covered with trees thereby reducing cases of disasters,” he said

Soko then assured the council and NLGFC that they will use the knowledge gained and the resources that will be channeled to them for the intended purpose.

EPWP is being implemented in 10 district councils on pilot phase namely Chitipa and Karonga in the North, Nkhota-kota, Kasungu, Dowa and Lilongwe in the center while in the South the programme is in Balaka, Chiradzulu, Phalombe and Blantyre.