Uncollected heaps of garbage, a recipe for cholera

Dear Editor,

THE heaps of uncollected garbage in the Central Business District (CBD) of Lusaka and in the residential areas can lead to an outbreak of the waterborne disease, cholera which is most prevalent during the rain season.

Lusaka mayor Miles Bwalya Sampa promised during his campaigns that there will be no outbreak of cholera this year. For sure no case of cholera has been recorded between October and December this year.

This is because of the pragmatic measures Mayor Sampa put in place such as getting on the ground collecting garbage in various residential areas working with the community-based enterprises.

Mr. Sampa has walked the miles or rather leading the way in preventing cholera.

In this vein, people should also play a significant role in ensuring that heaps of garbage are collected and dumped at the designated sites such as Chunga dumpsite.

People should also conform to hygienic conditions such as washing hands with soap after using the toilet, cover food all the time, desist from drinking water from shallow wells, add chlorine in water and avoid buying foodstuffs on the streets among others.

Cholera broke out in October last year which is a rare phenomenon because cholera normally breaks out during the rainy season. Cholera claimed many lives last across the country.

Colossal sums of money was spent to bring the epidemic under control. The money could have been channeled to other needy areas.

Together we can prevent cholera and let people stop the indiscriminate dumping of garbage either in residential areas and trading places.