5th February 2023
It is almost a year since bulldozers owned by PLEM/ Alghanim International entered the once pristine UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), Lake Malawi National Park, Nkhudzi Mountain and proceeded to carve a path through the dense forest to the saddle of the mountain, to build a water tank for a Southern Region Water Board project, funded by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
Since the first rains on the 20th December 2022, there has been unprecedented flash flooding as a direct result of the site construction, carrying tons of sediment directly from the road works into the waters of the Lake Malawi National Park. It is known that such sedimentation destroys the breeding grounds of the endemic cichlid fish. Plumes of silt from the construction of this project have travelled far into the southern part of the lake and along Namaso bay into Nkhudzi bay, where they intend to extract water for the tank. These heavy levels of sedimentation into Lake Malawi have never been recorded before from Nkhudzi Hill.
https://times.mw/fisheries-department-laments-siltation-in-lake-malawi/?amp=1
Residents in the path of the mud flows have had to take drastic action, building sand bag barriers to protect their properties and themselves as well as making silt traps and erosion pits to stop the flow of muddy sludge into the Lake. Heavy rains continue, with each rainfall bringing down more mud as PLEM continue to work on their road, creating more erosion and sedimentation flow into Lake Malawi WHS.
Please watch these important video links to see the scale of the erosion and flash flooding:
https://youtube.com/shorts/f8grC9eqovM?feature=share
The following is an exact copy of the contractual obligations of the construction contract for this project:
PSE8 POLLUTION CONTROL – GENERAL
"The Contractor shall design, construct, maintain and operate suitable temporary pollution control facilities necessary to prevent discharge of polluting matter or visible suspended materials into rivers, streams or existing drainage systems."
"All diverted and pumped water shall be discharged at locations on the surface from which it cannot re-enter the Works and in a manner which does not cause erosion, pollution or nuisance to landholders, other contractors employed by the Engineer or other persons within or adjacent to the Site."
"Before any work is carried out in any area of the Site, all specified or directed or approved pollution control measures shall be in place and operational."
The use of heavy machinery has caused a large rock fall half way up the newly constructed SRWB road inside the WHS, narrowly missing their machines and workers. The large boulders now block their road and they are drilling with the intention to blast explosives. The mountain is extremely saturated and unstable, and there is a great risk of landslides and more rockfall.
The Southern Region Water Board Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) states the following:
"The project developer will have to ensure that activities during all phases of the project promote environmental protection and sustainable development of natural resources, including water and biological diversity resources."
"Therefore, this project needs to be undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner to ensure protection and management of the environment and the conservation as well as sustainable utilization of natural resources."
The Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment report states the following:
"This project has, therefore, the potential to cause significant damage to heritage resources if no management and mitigation measures are implemented."
"In the case of this project, avoidance of impacts can often be most easily accomplished by adjusting the project activity, if possible, to the outside of the boundaries of the cultural heritage resource."
"Lake Malawi National Park World Heritage Site has not been spared with the current Mangochi water supply extension project which will affect the natural attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, its integrity, protection and management."
'"Outstanding Universal Value is defined in the Operational Guidelines as “…natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.”
Correct and Efficient mitigation measures are urgently required to address the heavy erosion, to stop further destruction of the World Heritage Site.