By Grace Kapatuka
Salima, February 8, Mana: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife, Michael Usi has assured people in the country that government would make sure that communities around the country’s water bodies are living in a safe and secure environment.
He made the remarks at Mlenga Village in Traditional Authority (TA) Ndindi when he visited beaches along Mtiya irrigation scheme where two people are reported to have recently been attacked by a crocodile.
Usi said living along the beaches of Lake Malawi or any other water body should not be a life threatening issue where people would live in fear due to fears of being attacked by animals.
The Minister said government learnt with shock the news that two people have been attacked by a crocodile at Mlenga village where one completely got lost and another one left with serious injuries.
He told reporters that following the development, has directed that that game rangers should immediately go to the place and hunt for the life threatening creatures.
“There is stretch of about five kilometres where people are being attacked by crocodiles and since people from this area depend on the water body for their livelihood, as government we needed to find ways of dealing with the crocodiles hence the directive that they should be killed because they are also posing a threat to tourism,” Usi said.
Village Headman Mlenga said his subjects are now afraid to visit the beaches following the recent crocodile attacks which he said have raised fears amongst many and at the same time paralyzing their lives.
“Our lives depend on the lake for everything. For us to get food, money and water we rely upon the lake because that’s where we go fishing, that’s where we draw the water from for domestic purposes and the like. We are indeed paralysed,” he said.
Mlenga thanked government for the quick response to their plea to be provided with game rangers so as to serve their lives.
Chief Mlenga asked government to provide them with alternative sources of water sources where communities could draw water from, other than the lake where their lives are being put at risk.
Meanwhile Patuma Mussa who was attacked by a crocodile on Tuesday last week and is currently at Salima district hospital said she was thankful to the Minister for sparing his time to visit her.
