Malawi Environmental Protection Authority ( MEPA) has fined Lilongwe City Council K5 million for failing to meet a deadline set for the relocation of the Area 38 dumpsite in the city.

This has been disclosed when officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources, MEPA and Lilongwe City Council appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change to give an update on the relocation of the Area 38 dumpsite in Lilongwe.

Lilongwe City Council Director of Health and Social Services Vitto Mulula, said the council has delayed relocating the dumpsite due to what he called logistical challenges.

In his remarks, Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change, Welani Chilenga, noted that if the city does not comply there will be an extra charge every day of defaulting.

Lilongwe City Council was advised to relocate or improve the site due to the health risks it poses to people staying around the area.