Salima district environment health officer (Deho) for Salima Aaron Ganizani says most urban centres in the district are at risk of contracting communicable diseases due to poor solid waste management.
Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Monday, Ganizani said of late there has been poor disposal of solid wastes around market places in the district which leave the people around the area at risk of contracting communicable diseases such as cholera and diahhorrea.
“In some places like the abattoir at Kamuzu Road Market the situation is pathetic as the solid waste are just disposed in the open and the best thing for now is just to close the place for a short time so that the place should be cleaned thoroughly,” said Ganizani.
The Deho added that both officials from the relevant government departments and the general public are to blame for the situation.
“I believe both we from the public sector and the general public are to blame for this situation because as service providers, we are supposed to provide enough solid waste deposit areas as well as maintain them while the general public is supposed to use them properly. But in our case we don’t have enough sites for waste disposal while the general public is not using the few ones properly,” said Ganizani.
He added that despite the district not receiving any reports of cases communicable diseases such as cholera for the past two years, there is a threat that the disease will easily spread due to the current trend.
Ganizani, however, commended the district council for providing a waste collection vehicle which is assisting in taking some of the waste to the main disposal site.—Mana
