Kanyama residents welcome Sanitation project

Speaking to ZANIS in an intervew in Lusaka today, both Mukolo and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula ward councillors said that the people of Kanyama were happy with the programmme as it would help incessant cholera outbreaks in the area.

Mukolo Ward 12 Councillor Samson Mwenda said the people of Kanyama Township have embraced the Community Led Total Sanitation programme saying this would help curb cholera outbreaks in the area.

Councillor Mwenda said the people now understood that it was not the role of Lusaka City Council to remove garbage but that the community should also be involved since they were the ones responsible for littering the surrounding resulting in accumulation of diseases come rain season.

And Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula ward 11 councillor Simon Sinyangwe hailed the President Rupiah Banda’s Government for wooing co-operating partners such as UNICEF in the fight against cholera in the country.

Mr Sinyangwe added that the gesture should be extended to other cholera prone townships as well.

He said people were geared to start the programme before the rain season to avert experiencing disease outbreaks which have continued to claim many lives in the township.

He said people were now aware that the issue of hygiene did not only involve the Council but that residents were equally responsible involved as they were the ones prone to diseases whenever there was an outbreak.

He said Lusaka City Council was not directly affected with unsanitary conditions but that residents should take center stage in the fight against such situations.

And Kanyama Ward 10 Chairperson Leonard Cheelo further told ZANIS that more people in Kanyama needed to be sensitised about the Community Led Total Sanitation Programme to enable them understand fully the benefit of full participating in the programme.

Mr Cheelo stated that many people in Kanyama did not have information on good sanitation hence the need to initiate the process of educating them so that they appreciate the benefits of the programme.

He said Government was keen to prevent diseases such as cholera adding that the problem was with the residents themselves who were adamant on good hygiene.

He disclosed that the resident Committee will be conducting meetings with the residents starting Friday this week to educate the people in the area about the programme.

The community Led Total Sanitation Programme was formed in 2002 with the help of the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for rural areas aimed at addressing poor sanitation.

The perennial out breaks of cholera in some townships in Lusaka has prompted the introduction of the programme to Kanyama Township as a pilot and and would equally be extended to other cholera prone areas in the district.
[ ZANIS ]