Rufunsa MP complains of indiscriminate cutting of trees

Rufunsa Member of Parliament Kenneth Chipungu has appealed to government to ban the indiscriminate cutting down of trees in his constituency especially a local spice commonly known as Mukula in the local language.

Mr. Chipungu said this local spice is on high demand and is being bought like hot cake by foreign nationals.

He explained that youths in his constituency were now spending a lot of time in the bush to cut the mukula tree and sell it to the Chinese buyers without following laid down procedures.

Mr. Chipungu observed that the tree risks being depleted if the trend continues.

He said it was imperative therefore that government puts in place guidelines which people can follow to avoid the indiscriminate cutting down of trees in the country.

The Rufunsa constituency legislator said this in a walk in interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.

And Mr. Chipungu has meanwhile lamented that his constituency was facing a serious hunger situation that has forced many people in the area to survive on wild fruits.

He has since appealed to government through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to send relief food to the area as quickly as possible especially to Chomba ward which he said was the most affected.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chipungu revealed that Kanyonja and Mwateshi bridges that link the area to other surrounding areas have collapsed leading to Shikabeta area being cut off from other districts.

He has appealed to the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) to urgently do something in order to ensure that the bridges were attended to urgently.