KIJIWE HURU

Alarm over deforestation

Morogoro. More than 200, 000 hectares of forests are cleared annually for charcoal production, The Citizen has learnt.

This is so because over 90 per cent of Tanzanians use charcoal as a major domestic energy source.

The concern was raised by Rural Energy Agency (Rea) consultant Shima Sago, when closing a training on alternative charcoal production.

The alternative charcoal is made from remains of plants such as shells of coconuts, corn, rice husks and wood waste.

The consultant told The Citizen that the training was provided to a group of 18 people from Kiswila Village, Matombo Division in Morogoro District.

He said the training was aimed at equipping participants with skills of producing alternative charcoal for their households use as well as for selling to other community members.

Mr Sago said apart from helping to conserve the environment, engaging in producing alternative charcoal would ensure appropriate utilisation of plant remains that are used as raw materials for domestic energy.

He also said the charcoal would boost the economies of most households as the alternative domestic energy source is more efficient than the traditional wood charcoal.

“Households will now be capable of using a very small amount of charcoal given its efficiency,” he said.

For her part, Morogoro Municipal community development officer, Ms Monica Lindi, expressed her optimism, saying the environmentally friendly technology would raise the income of most communities.

She advised the training participants to teach others who did not get the opportunity to attend.

“You should act as ambassadors by passing the skills you have gained to other community members, particularly women who are in most cases responsible for searching for household energy sources,” she told the participants.