Building Resilience of Informal Settlements through Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity Actions in Lilongwe City, Malawi
Name of Organization:
Centre for Community Organisation and Development (CCODE)
ProjectAmount:
59 166.67 USD
ProjectFunders
SIDA through Un Habitat
ProjectPeriod:
March – June 2022
The goal of this project is to pilot nature-based solutions (NBS) and urban biodiversity actions in the context of informal settlements upgrading and climate change resilience building in the City of Lilongwe, Malawi. The actions will be implemented in three informal settlements of Kawale 1, Kawale 2, and Kaliyeka, which are some of the poorly drained flood-prone areas located along Lingadzi and Mchesi River. Through awareness actions, capacity building of local-level structures and communities, and improving waste management, this project will demonstrate pilot solutions that will significantly reduce flooding, pollution of water sources and biodiversity and consequently, mitigate property loss, general human suffering and reduce degradation of the environment along the river banks of Mchesi and Lingadzi Rivers. The action has the potential to be scaled up and it is built around the work that CCODE has already been doing in these settlements in the last four years. Centre for Community Organisation and Development (CCODE), will implement this action in liaison with the Lilongwe City Council, the affected communities and their established leadership structures, the private sector, schools, community-based youth organizations, among others. The action will be implemented in 4 months and is consistent with the Lilongwe city council’s vision and mission. It will specifically be aligned to the council’s strategic plan (2021-2025), the Lilongwe Resilience Framework Action Plan, and the Lilongwe Ecological Corridor Initiative.
To that effect, the proposed action will directly address key priority areas of the Lilongwe City Council’s Strategic Plan under goal number three which addresses the efficient and cost-effective provision of services. Specifically, the action aligns with the Council’s strategic objective number 3.2 which is about expanding green areas by 300 hectares and protecting the city’s environment for future generations. It also addresses strategic objective 3.3 on collecting and proper disposal of 70% of all solid waste generated as waste management has been pointed out as one of the main challenges facing the city of Lilongwe. It is argued that the environment, economy, and public health in Malawi are at increasing risk from the dangers of poorly managed waste. Authorities currently lack the infrastructure, resources, and capacity to manage the rising quantities of waste being generated. Inadequate waste management is leading to the accumulation of waste, causing serious environmental and social consequences, including heightened flood risk and threats to public health from water-borne and vector-borne diseases (Waste-Aid, 2020). At the end of the pilot, a dissemination workshop will be undertaken to share the results with a multiplicity of stakeholders and communities in Lilongwe and other Cities.
