Thursday, March 28, 2024

Forestry department chase after Illegal charcoal burners

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The Department of Forest in Kanchibiya District of Muchinga Province, has continued confiscating bags of Charcoal from several illegal charcoal burners in the district.

Over 200 by 5O kilogramme bags of Charcoal were yesterday confiscated following a joint patrol by Forest officers from Kanchibiya and Mpika Districts aimed at curbing the rampant illegal charcoal trading in the District.

This was disclosed to ZANIS by Kanchibiya District Forest Officer Francis Mutale stated that last month 333 by 50 kilogramme bags of charcoal were confiscated by the department in Kanchibiya District.

He said the Department of Forest will not sit back and watch the community engage themselves in indiscriminately cutting down trees and illegal charcoal trading.

He noted with sadness that there has been an increase in illegal charcoal trading in Kanchibiya, especially in Mpepo’ area where the residents have refused to cooperate with the Department of Forest.

Mr. Mutale has since appealed to Chief Mpepo of Bemba speaking People in Kanchibiya District to help arrest the rampant cutting down of trees in his Chiefdom before it gets out of hand.

He said if left unchecked, illegal cutting down of trees can lead to serious deforestation which will have adverse effects to both the environment in the area and climate at large.

Meanwhile, Kanchibiya District Commissioner Chrispin Chilekwa has warned that his office working together with the Forest Department will ensure that all those found wanting are prosecuted so as to deter would-be offenders.

Mr. Chilekwa has however said curbing indiscriminately cutting down of trees needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders especially in the communities where such acts are happening.

“Am urging the illegal charcoal burners to form Cooperatives and apply for Constituency Development Funds (CDF) even as they venture into alternate productive businesses,” Mr. Chilekwa said.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) Kanchibiya District Women’s Chairperson, Seveniya Malama has appealed to Kanchibiya residents to find alternative income generating activities that will help them sustain their livelihoods without being in conflict with the law.

“There are many income generating Activities that the people in Kanchibiya can do other than illegal charcoal trading,” said Ms. Malama.

5 COMMENTS

  1. AS LONG AS THERE ISN’T A NATIONWIDE CHARCOAL BURNING BAN – THIS WILL CONTINUE. PEOPLE NEED TO COOK!

  2. The people that have caused large scale de-forestation is this area are the Chinese that have been logging hardwoods especially mukula and these chaps don’t even catch them. Charcoal burners don’t get into forest reserves to cut trees for charcoal. It’s usually from their fields. People have a right to exploit these resources for their livelihoods. Just because one hasn’t paid K10 charcoal levy then they lose 300 bags of their charcoal. It just worsens their situation. You must arrest those that go to forest reserves and ironically these same chaps go to sell the confiscated charcoal for their own benefit. What kind of country is this? People live like refugees in their own country

  3. Picking on the weakest. I think, you will find that one or two bags of charcoal will not have taken out as many trees as so called “investors” cut down in one sweep. Also, charcoal burners don’t stay permanently in one place so that the affected forest is cleared bare, they move to other locations – which allows used areas to regenerate. In fact, with vision, the Forests department could grow forests specifically for charcoal. It’s done in the UK, why not in Zambia!

  4. BECAUSE THIS IS ZAMBIA AND NOT THE UK
    ALSO ITS WESTERN CULTURE VS AFRICAN CULTURE
    MORE IMPORTANT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CONFISICATED ?
    SOLD ??

  5. Oh dear! Dumbo is back trolling me again! I asked you – politely, to trott off! What’s it with you? Totally obsessed with me eh? there are people on here who call you all sorts yet you won’t engage them. Respond to what’s in the articles, not what I comment – stupid. Blast!

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