00:00Plastic waste and debris below its tranquil, scenic surface.
00:06Lake Malawi looks very different.
00:11Since 2023, local divers in Cape McLear, led by Felix Sinossi,
00:16have been clearing plastic waste from the lakebed three times a week.
00:25The garbage underwater seems harmless, but it is destructive.
00:31When diving tourists come here with cameras to see fish,
00:34instead they see garbage underwater, which is not good.
00:40Not only that, fish eat plastic and this also affects humans, as humans eat fish.
00:51With its tropical beaches,
00:53the world's fourth biggest freshwater lake is a major tourist destination.
00:57The trash that the divers collect not only threatens Malawi's economy,
01:01it's also damaging to the lake's ecosystem, including endemic freshwater species.
01:07Kenneth Mackay is an evolutionary biologist.
01:10He's observed the impact of pollution first-hand.
01:14Garbage can come on the breeding platforms or in the territories of the males.
01:20It makes it difficult for the fish to breed.
01:23The fish can ingest not only full plastic, but also the microplastic.
01:29And the plastic's breaking down in the lake.
01:33People are drinking it.
01:34So they're going to be getting microplastics.
01:36When people eat contaminated fish,
01:39microplastics and toxic chemicals can enter the body.
01:42Scientists say this exposure can affect hormones,
01:46reproduction, and even the immune system.
01:48In February 2025, the Malawian government officially banned thin plastics,
01:55such as food packaging and grocery bags.
01:58But tracking down the producers has proved challenging for the authorities.
02:02Some have changed where they were producing the plastics.
02:08The location where we banned them, that no more production here.
02:12So they changed their production site to relocate to other sites.
02:15So that has also been a problem to regulate and monitor them.
02:20Some of the trash recovered by the divers in Cape MacLear
02:23ends up transformed into various products for sale.
02:27We collect garbage like glass bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bags, and tins.
02:37We work with these items to recycle them into crafts.
02:46The divers' efforts cleaning up the lake have not gone unnoticed.
02:50When the team collect trash from the water, the water looks clean.
02:58In this way, the fish won't be harmed or destroyed by plastics and glass bottles.
03:03The water is more hygienic, so it's a good idea.
03:08For now, the project is restricted to the Cape MacLear area.
03:11But the hope is that it will inspire further clean-up efforts all over Lake Malawi.
03:20You see the questions in the different parts.
03:22You see the next slide.
03:23This is the one that can be found.
03:24The Terletico mama is able to tutor a little bit of a flooring plant.
03:27If you are interested in the technical section,
03:29the better knows you about the nutrients and your plants.
03:30You can see the water is very karatous in the water.
03:31If you are interested in the water.
03:32And you can see the water like this.
03:33I am sure there is a kritic juga.
03:34After a little bit and in the water can be found.
03:35I am sure it will take the water like this.
03:36It will take the water like this.
03:38So I am sure it is very optional.
03:41The water is very important.
03:42And you can see it in the water.
03:44After a little bit and you can see it.
03:45There's not a big thing.
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