MV Elephant Marsh Master

One of the components of the World Bank Shire River Basin Management Program (SRMP)- funded project is to protect the Elephant Marsh tasked by the Department of National Parks (DNPW), as well as to assist Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in the event of flood relief should it happen again, similar to the one that occurred a few years ago.

Department of National Parks required a vessel to enable/assist them to navigate the Elephant Marsh, for purposes of research and patrolling once certified by RAMSAR – https://www.ramsar.org/news/malawi-declares-elephant-marsh-as-its-second-ramsar-site.

This has now been achieved, indicated by a large sign after the “Thabwa” police road block that you may have noticed if you have recently travelled to the Lower Shire.

Department of Disaster Management Affairs also required a vessel which would make it easier for them to assist people in need should another flood occur. Unfortunately there was not enough money in the project budget to purchase two vessels, so a cooperation between the two departments was made to purchase one larger one. They share the vessel, since neither of the departments would be requiring the use of the vessel on a daily basis; DNPW perhaps 4 times a year and DoDMA only in the event of a disaster.

An airboat was the choice of both departments due to its capability to traverse marshes with relative ease. Two logistical hurdles presented themselves: where to “house” the boat and how to maintain it?

The solution found was a public/private partnership between the two government departments, Agricane Ltd and Jambo Africa Ltd.