Market committees tipped on waste management
Neno District Environmental Office has drilled market committees and cleaners in proper waste management to enhance hygiene in the wake of the cholera outbreak.
Speaking on Friday during the training at Zalewa in the district, Neno district environmental officer Sunganani Chilenje said proper waste disposal reduces the risk of diseases and polluting the environment.
“Improper management and disposal of waste can endanger lives, thereby putting the lives of people at risk,” he said.
Chilenje urged traders and market cleaners to dispose of waste at Mbemba Waste Management Site.
He said Neno District Council through the Ministry of Water and Sanitation with financial support from Malawi Water Shed Services Improvement Project donated cleaning materials such as wheelbarrows, gumboots and slashes.
Zalewa Market chairperson Anderson Phephelu thanked the council for the cleaning materials, saying they will ease the cleaning exercise at the market.
“However, I ask the council to construct a fence at Zalewa Market to improve security,” he said.
John Makombe, a resident of Zalewa, commended the council for the training.
He said Zalewa was one of the cholera hotspots in the district, as such, proper waste management was crucial to containing the disease.
“I urge the market committees to conduct cleanup exercises every Friday to improve sanitation and hygiene,” said Makombe.
Similar trainings were also held at Ligowe and Chikonde markets in the districts.
President Lazarus Chakwera launched the National Cleanup Campaign in 2020 to improve sanitation and hygiene in the country
