By Edwin Mauluka
Local ethanol manufacturer Presscane Limited has been ordered to immediately suspend all effluent discharge and additional inflow at its dumping site in Lauji Village, near Dyeratu Township in Chikwawa District.
The directive was issued on Tuesday by the National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) following joint inspection findings by NWRA, the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) and the Central Water Laboratory (CWL).
The inspection, conducted on January 20, 2026, at Presscane’s effluent management facility, followed reports of effluent spillages and formed part of routine compliance monitoring under the Water Resources Act of 2013.
According to a Notice of Inspection Findings and Compliance Order dated January 23, 2026, and signed by NWRA Chief Executive Officer Dwight Kambuku, inspectors identified serious violations of the Water Resources Act (2013) and the Water Resources Regulations (2018).
“You are therefore notified that your effluent discharge permit (DL/TE/6/2021) is hereby suspended for non-compliance, in line with Section 101 of the Water Resources Act (2013),” reads part of the order.
Under the Act, NWRA has directed Presscane to undertake several immediate administrative and corrective actions. The order halts all discharge of vinasse and prohibits any overflow, seepage or release of untreated or partially treated effluent into the environment or water resources.
The company has also been barred from dumping vinasse into existing evaporation ponds until adequate containment and treatment capacity is demonstrated and formally approved by NWRA.
“Undertake, at your own cost, the clean-up, rehabilitation and restoration of all environments and water resources impacted by the effluent spill incidents, in accordance with Section 103 of the Water Resources Act (2013),” the order states.
NWRA has further demanded that Presscane submit a detailed Corrective Action Plan with clear timelines within 14 days, as well as a Pollution Impact and Remediation Report covering all affected areas within 21 days.
The Authority warned that failure to comply will attract administrative penalties and could result in further enforcement action, including prosecution, closure of operations and other measures provided for under the Water Resources Act.
Inspection findings indicate that Presscane deliberately allowed raw and untreated effluent to overflow into the environment due to overloading of evaporation ponds. The ponds were operating beyond capacity and lacked adequate freeboard, resulting in seepage and spillages that pose a high risk to groundwater and nearby surface water bodies.
The company was also faulted for constructing unapproved and unlined secondary ponds to contain spillovers, failing to monitor groundwater quality and the surrounding environment, neglecting recommended mitigation measures, and failing to report pollution incidents as required under Section 103 of the Act.
In a related development, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI), Citizen League and concerned community members under Traditional Authority Katunga have been granted permission to hold vigils at Presscane Limited beginning Thursday, January 29, 2026.
The groups are demanding the immediate removal of vinasse ponds at Lauji Village, compensation for affected communities, respect and dignity for local residents, and full compliance with the Environmental Management Act of 2017.
Since 2017, communities living around the dumping site have complained about Presscane’s management of the evaporation ponds, citing persistent overflows of corrosive effluent with pungent odours into homes, farmlands and roads.
Residents have also reported cases of respiratory, eye and skin diseases, which some believe are linked to waste generated from ethanol production.
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Photo by Edwin Mauluka
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