Africa-Press – Malawi. Floods have been devastating news in Malawi year after year, leaving thousands displaced and hundreds dead in their persistent wake. While government and other stakeholders attentively warn those residing in flood-prone areas and occasionally relocate them, the effectiveness of these measures remains questionable.
Moving along the river banks of most rivers stand completely bare, the trees that once covered there do not exist at all.
How can we possibly reduce floods while the riverbanks lie naked and vulnerable? When rains fall, water rapidly erodes the land surface, flowing without any control across the ground due to the absence of trees that would naturally obstruct its path. Consequently, crops, lives and properties in these vulnerable areas suffer tremendous damage, often resulting in long-term negative impacts that affect many communities for generations.
Research conducted by BRGH (French Geographical Survey) in 2024 highlighted that intensive deforestation stands as the primary cause behind Malawi’s terrible floods.
The report states that, “Deforestation over the last decade has drastically increased soil erosion and degradation, leading to an increase in sediment input into rivers. This has led to excessive sedimentation in riverbeds, resulting in the reduction of bank height and the rivers’ capacity to contain water within their natural boundaries.”
So how to combat this problem?
Well, the Malawi government must establish strong policies that not only promote tree planting but also ensure their care until maturity. Malawi faces a critical challenge in taking care of the trees we plant. Each rainy season, millions of trees are planted with hopeful hands, yet the transformation in our landscape remains disappointingly minimal.
Must we wait for foreign organizations to intervene and restore our deforested areas? What if every citizen committed to planting just one tree along a riverbank each year and nurturing it until maturity? Imagine the transformation—our riverbanks would wear a green cover, standing as natural barriers against the devastating floods that have plagued our nation.
As a matter of fact, we cannot hope to solve the flooding crisis without addressing the root cause of the degraded riverbanks. The connection between deforestation and flooding is undeniable, scientifically proven and visible before our eyes. Until we recognize that trees are not merely decorative but essential infrastructure for our waterways, we will continue to witness the same tragic cycle of destruction year after year.
The time for half-measures and empty promises has passed. What Malawi needs now is a grassroots movement of environmental stewardship, where every citizen becomes a guardian of our riverbanks and a participant in the solution.
The trees we plant today are not just for ourselves but for future generations who deserve to live in a country where rivers flow within their banks, where communities thrive without fear of annual devastation and where the beauty of our natural landscape is preserved rather than destroyed.
Wake up, Malawi! Let us take decisive action to restore the devastated environments that have compromised our country’s ecological integrity for years, compromising the lives of millions living in flood-prone areas. The power to change our future lies in our hands and it begins with a single seed, a single sapling and a collective commitment to reclaim our riverbanks, one tree at a time.
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