Nkhotakota excited with Lake Malawi gas and oil exploration exercise
Members of Kanyenda Area Development Committee (ADC) on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with Hamra Oil Company’s plan to explore oil and gas on the shore of Lake Malawi.
Speaking during ADC meeting at Kanyenda Teacher Development Committee (TDC), Senior Group Village Headman Kalewa who represented Senior Chief Kanyenda expressed satisfaction, saying he could see his area developing due to activities that will be taking place there.
“We had fears that the exploration exercise would destroy environment like fish and trees but now that we hear there will be no environmental destruction, we are happy for the project.
“We only ask Hamra Oil representatives to keep us updated and keep their promise of promoting social responsibility by providing a certain percentage of the money that will be generated to us through the council if at all oil and gas are found during the exercise,” he said.
Chairperson for the ADC, Watson Mkute, said he was proud the company would open more job opportunities for the population in Nkhotakota and whole country as a whole.
He, however, asked Hamra Oil to follow the right procedures when compensating people who will be affected in the process.
“Usually, some companies do not consider the appropriate cost to compensate the communities who relocate or lose their land due to the coming in of a company,” said Mkute.
Malawi Mineral Expert, Grain Malunga, explained that the company would explore gas and oil in Nkhotakota North only because the area has big rivers like Dwangwa, Bua and Dwambazi which deposit more sediments into the lake, thereby giving more likelihood of the presence of minerals that indicate the presence of oil and gas.
He said was happy the ADC understood the whole process, adding that the country should be assured of making more profits if oil and gas are discovered in Lake Malawi.
Malunga dismissed reports that the company was doing on-shore exercise because of wrangles between Malawi and Tanzania over the ownership of part of Lake Malawi.
“We have decided to use on-shore exploration because it is affordable. Lake Malawi goes as deep as 700 metres which can cost us a lot if exploration is done offshore.
“We are assured that Malawi will benefit a lot if oil and gas are found and the economy will tremendously change for the better,” said Malunga.
On the importance of oil drilling when the world is going towards oil-less-driven vehicles technology, the mineral expert said Malawi was on time because it is usually left behind with technology.
“If we find oil and gas in the lake, it will be to our advantage because whatever happens, Malawi will still be using the fuel driven vehicles until some more years to come,” he said.
The exploration exercise begins first week of November 2017.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
ZIKOMO. ..WE APPRECIATE THIS INFORMATION. HAMRA KEEP US BRIEFED ON WHAT IS GOING ON. OIL. ..WE MUST JUST TIGHTEN SOME AREAS FOR US TO BENEFIT. .. I WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS OIL DRILLING …..WE NEED OUR COUNTRY TO DEVELOP AND FOR SURE OIL IS THE WAY TO ENHANCE OUR ECONOMY ….
It appears like even our own journalists are supporting the idea of oil drilling in Malawi.
Your own coverage does not appear to inform these poor people regarding the world shifting from these fuels to renewable energy.
There is a lot of information online that is suggesting that there is a “J curve” in renewables and yet I don’t see this written anywhere when I visit Malawian press.
Please don’t just focus on politics, focus on the environment too.
https://youtu.be/N1PvX06tZOk
Koma kutengeka anthu omvetsa chisoni. Chimunthu you’re near these people, you can’t help your own people to see where this will take them to? Dwangwa sugar corporation makes billions of kwachas there. Yet Dema primary school has remained as poorly funded as the day it was established when Hon Chimunthu himself went there in the 70s.
So how will oil bring jobs there?
No please stop that oil. The only beneficiary to that will be Malunga and his fellow politicians.
For you the people of nkhunga: what awaits you is poverty through oil pollution and environmental damage.
My people of Malawi, getting excited over stupid stuff, oil isn’t more valuable than our lake and its heritage. Instead of boosting tourism sector, you trying to fix a long-term problem with short-term solutions. where is the sense in that, to make it worse global oil prices are low, WHAT ARE WE THINKING MALAWI. THIS POLITICIAN HAVE FAILED THE ORDINARY AND YOUTH GENERATION OF MALAWI
My country men and women of KK don’t be too excited with the oil exploration report. Before you start dancing and clapping hands read stories about oil drilling in Africa. Take Nigeria for example, there the poor have not benefited in away what they got instead was pollution. Recall Ken Saro Wiwa, why he was killed by Abacha regime. He wanted to protect the Ogoniland from Shell that had destroyed the envioronment with oil. Abacha did like that because he had personally benefited from Shell oil. Because of corruption it will be impossible for Malawi to police the drillers. I… Read more »
We should not have a defeatist mind. .. let’s move on in oil drilling . Let’s have better laws and policies to manage our oil but saying no is shooting ourselves in the photo. Thank you govt and Hamra for these sensitizations as they help to clear some of the fears surrounding the oil issues due to so much misinformation around. Oil is for our own good and our is a blessing to us and not a curse! GO ON HAMRA WE NEED YOU ….
Guys let’s join environmental activists to stop this. These folks are not well informed about the environmental dangers that await us if this was to go ahead. And Malawi as a country wouldn’t be able to pull itself out of a mess as huge as an oil sleek! This area has fast flowing rivers and streams that end up in Lake Malawi. You may have heard reports of road wash aways in this area when it rains heavily. Any oil spillage activity within 10 to 20 km upland is highly likely to be swept down to the lake. This is… Read more »