Ruptly
"Local divers in Cape Maclear have launched a volunteer project to rescue Lake Malawi, one of Africa's most critical freshwater ecosystems, from the growing threat of plastic pollution. Footage filmed on Saturday shows divers emerging from the waters with sacks of plastic bottles and other waste after collecting it from the bottom of the lake. Later, the waste is sorted out and recycled, with volunteers handcrafting the rubbish into useful everyday household items. "We beckon tourists to come to see our lake, so we need to keep it clean so that when the tourists come, they should tell others about the cleanliness of the lake, and we are also protecting the creatures in the lake, such as fish, which require a clean environment, especially those that breed underwater. If there is a lot of garbage, the fish population will decrease," explained Alex Basikolo, Lake Malawi National Park ranger. The volunteer cleaning protest was launched by the Health, Education, Environment and Economic Development (HEEED) nonprofit organisation in 2023. The project aims to boost tourism and wildlife, endangered by the microplastics released as waste decomposes. “We really need support, especially financially, so that we really want to work on this, the Lake Malawi National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a tourist destination area. When tourists, guests or visitors come, they need to find a clean environment,” HEEED Manager Violet Zakaria commented. Despite a 2025 ban on thin plastics, Lake Malawi continues to experience critical pollution, primarily from plastic waste, sewage, and agricultural runoff. According to the nation's National Waste Management Strategy, over 70 percent of 75,000 metric tons of plastic waste produced in Malawi is discarded indiscriminately."
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