Over 300 cases of diarrhoeal diseases have been reported in Mufulira’s Mupambe township following the contamination of water pipes last week.
Out of the 300 cases, 100 patients with severe diarrhoea have been admitted to Ronald Ross and Malcolm Watson hospitals where they are receiving treatment.
Copperbelt Province Minister Rodgers Mwewa has directed the Mufulira District Health Management Team (MDHMT) to mount a mobile hospital in the area to contain the outbreak of the diarrhoeal diseases.
The provincial minister also visited the township to check on the sanitation in the area.
Presenting a report to Mr Mwewa over the weekend on the pollution of the water pipes in Mupambe, Mufulira Town Clerk Charles Mwandila said cases of diarrhoeal diseases have increased.
Mr Mwandila said water pipes were contaminated when the sewer pipe carrying human waste burst, discharging effluent which seeped through the pipes supplying clean water to the area.
“The water pipe carrying clean water and the one which carries sewer matter run parallel to each other, this is the way they were designed in the 1950s.
“The human waste contaminated the clean water and unfortunately 300 cases of diarrhoea diseases have been reported since the contamination took place last week,” he said.
Mr Mwandila said the water pipes and the sewer lines that service Mupambe are worn out and they cannot be repaired because they are rusty.
He said K7.6 billion is needed to replace the water pipes and the sewer lines that service Mupambe, to improve sanitation.
He said Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) has started feasibility studies to work on the possibility of diverting the water pipe that supplies water to Mupambe from the sewer line to prevent the contamination of piped water.
Mr Mwandila said Mufulira has a serious sanitation problem in most townships, due to the dilapidated water infrastructure.
He said in Chibolya, Kankoyo and Kansuswa, MWSC with support from stakeholders managed to replace some of the water pipes in the three townships.
Mr Mwandila also called on Government to help the municipal council to curb vandalism of water infrastructure in the district.
He said peasant farmers in most townships are perforating sewer pipes with a view to getting raw sewer, which they are using to water their gardens.
And Mufulira acting medical officer Charles Chipanda said more than 100 people from Mupambe have been admitted and treated for diarrhoeal cases since last week.
And Mr Mwewa urged MDHMT to mount a mobile clinic in Mupambe to treat the residents suffering from diarrhoea.
He said a base should be established in the township where people can receive treatment to contain the waterborne disease.
Mr Mwewa also said Government will work hard to ensure that residents on the Copperbelt have clean water.
“Right now, we should move on site and mount a clinic where those affected by the contaminated water can be treated,’’ he said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
“Copperbelt Province Minister Rodgers Mwewa has directed the Mufulira District Health Management Team (MDHMT) to mount a mobile hospital in the area to contain the outbreak of the diarrhoeal diseases”. ???? Maybe we can benefit from Rupiah’s ideas and “corrupt” decisions after all?
This is one of the costs for street trading. Imagine all that contamination is getting to food sold in streets. I stopped eating contaminated food from the streets long time ago.
And the street vendors are doing a fantastic job multiplying the cases of diarrhoea.
Political support from street vendros is more important than human lives, the Gospel according to PF.
These are the real issues that need priority, and not the runaway witch-hunting going on.
If RB spent the money on rehabiltating sanitation problems in Mufulira and other towns instead of the mobile hospitals, this problem wouldn’t have occured . I still think the money spent on those mobile hospitals should have been put to good use by replacing those pipes that were installed in the 1950s in Mufulira and other areas. Please don’t make RB a hero on this one. That money was wasted. Stationing the mobile hospital in the affected area will not replace the burst sewer lines installed in the 1950s. Government must still find more money to replace those pipes, for a problem which should have been done by RB had he put that money to good use.
I Can predict that more serious outbreaks across the country are yet to occur due to massive street vending which has been regarded as job creation among us the youth within 90 days by the so called new government. I wonder how someone with diarrhoea admitted to the clinic can have more money in the pocket. May be diarrhoea itself is what is known as more money in your pocket. This is donchi kubeba bane mufwile ukusalapuka.
Mr Kapoma this is a 50 year problem.we need to
Break this bad tradition, 4 presidents none of them
Did anything, and this just shows how ineffective ours
Local councils are,just there for land grabbing and wrangles
Where does the buck stop? Clonial masters who installed them in the 1950s? Zambian leaders, from KK to RB no one paid attention. Hope Sata will look into water supply services in the country. Has any one calculated how much money is spent on all Water Companies Managing Directors and other senior staff? Do we really need all of them? Are they able to generate enough money to support their remuneration and leave enough for maintenance and expansion? If not, there is need to review their setup. ZESCO operates with one MD for the whole country. Cant the same be done for water so that the other money being spent on these unnecessary senior staff can go to improvements of the water systems?
I live in the United States, arguably the biggest economy in the world. But even then, the local councils repair their water pipes, drainage systems almost every year mostly during summer and the fall before winter strikes. Why the hell our govt with four presidents on the trot cannot do anything at all to resolve and sort out such a mess. I feel for the people of Mufulira to be living under such deplorable conditions. Hopefully ba Sata is listening to this very disturbing story. batil ati imiti ikula empanga…..(meaning our children are the future) honestly I don’t see the logic to this old adage if our govt can sit back and relax while children are dying due to very poor sanitary conditions which might otherwise be avoided.
#10 ,i sympathize with you.i just came back from Lusaka and am still in shock at the filthiness of our so called capital city.It seems Zambians have settled for mediocrisy in their lives.There is a ditch at Kamwala market and the amount of rubbish in it can make someone vomit the whole year.The stench of urine is not something to talk about.Suprisingly on one seems concerned.ZAMBIANS MUST LEARN THAT SANITY STARTS WITH YOU AND ME .
CAN SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE RUBBISH AT SOWETO AND KAMWALA MARKETS PLEASE!