ARUSHA Tanzania (Xinhua) -- Authorities in south-western Tanzania have launched a campaign to scale up environmental conservation and promotion of alternative sources of energy, aiming at reducing the growing risk of climate change.

Jackline Wikechi, Mbozi District Environmental Officer, on Thursday linked the climate change with severe environmental degradation, which affected rain patterns and hence reduces crop production in the district which borders Zambia on its southern part.

The official said: “This situation is made by unscrupulous people who are recklessly cutting tree for fire wood as well as conducting agricultural activities against the environmental law.”

Wikechi said the launched campaign will involve all people from grassroots to the regional level and national level.

“We want to use this campaign to change people’s mindset on environmental related issues. Through this campaign, local government authorities will be required to come up with strict by-laws to prevent deforestation.”

According to Wikechi, people will be trained on how to make charcoal-saving stoves, which use a limited amount of charcoal compared to the ordinary ones.

“Our district is experiencing serious degradation of water sources and deforestation, which causes severe deficit in the rain, a significant factor that affects crop production, hence putting people in the peril of food insecurity,” the official said, noting that the situation has also triggered temperature rise.

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Night explosion hits Tanzanian law firm, police launch investigations

DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania (Xinhua) -- Police on Saturday launched investigations into a night explosion that hit the headquarters of a law firm in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Lucas Mkondya, acting commander of the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone, said police were investigating whether the blast at the offices of Ishengoma, Karume, Masha and Magai Advocates (IMMMA) was caused by a bomb.

Mkondya told a news conference that nobody was injured and that no suspect had been arrested in connection with the attack.