Shanil says Malawi should prioritise solar power to contain blackouts

Balaka West member of Parliament (MP) (Independent) Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri has emphasised the need to invest in solar energy as one way of curbing the rising energy problem the country is facing.

Parliamentary laugh. Shanil with fellow legislator in the House

Dzimbiri, the former First Lady, said using solar power would help provide a long-term solution to the problem.

She made the remarks during her contribution on President Peter Mutharika’s opening address to the 47th session of Parliament delivered on November 10.

The Balaka West MP said women suffer the most as they spend long hours at maize mills waiting for electricity to come while their children starve at home.

“I totally agree with the State President that the first step in solving this problem is to accept it. We have a problem. Life is very tough and unbearable for Malawians. In Balaka West, Mr Speaker, Sir, especially TA Nkaya, people did not harvest anything and they are surviving on chakudya chathu cha lero. Now, when they go to the maize mills with the little maize in their basins, they spend two to three days at the mills due to outage of power,” she said.

Dzimbiri stressed that there is need for government to prioritise solar energy  and wind mills to generate power for hospitals.

She noted that most of the power generated by Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom) is being supplied to parastatals such as water boards. She said such institutions can generate their own power instead of scrambling for it with poor Malawians who are unable to do the same.

“ and wind mills to generate power for hospitals. It is also high time that water boards started generating their own power. If this happens, Mr Speaker, Sir, the 70 megawatts which is being consumed by essential service providers, would be distributed to industrial and domestic use,” she said.

Dzimbiri also said there is still shortage of water in Balaka West, saying the constituency is still waiting for 10 boreholes per Traditional Authority promised  by government through  former Minister of Health Peter Kumpalume.

“And people in Balaka are eagerly waiting for the boreholes. This will ease the water shortage problem the district is facing, particularly in TA Chanthunya, Nsamala and Nkhaya and Sub-TA Phalula.|,” she said.

She also asked  government to rehabilitate Mpira Dam.

”If this Dam is rehabilitated, Mr Speaker, Sir, the shortage of water in Balaka District will be permanently resolved,” she said.

 

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concerned citizen
concerned citizen
6 years ago

Governments in Malawi have always implement policies that aim at enriching those In power and their associates. Indeed solar energy is the right way to go than the much touted thermal power plant they want to build at Kamwamba. Solar energy once installed, it is low cost maintenance source of power than the coal power plant. while the whole world is talking of reducing carbon emissions in to the atmosphere , we are going for such technology that will pollute. Secondly, how much coal do we have in Malawi to sustain the running of the coal plant for the coming… Read more »

Takondwa
Takondwa
6 years ago

Solar energy is the way to go

Dipipi wa Yudiefu
Dipipi wa Yudiefu
6 years ago

Kkkkkkkk, stupid voters being punished for electing stupid people into government.

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
6 years ago

Solar power would be cheaper and can be localized in districts but remember the generators are bought in order to give business to fuel transporters who sponsor DPP.

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