Partner with traders to prevent cholera outbreaks in markets

Alliance for Zambian Informal Economy Association (AZIEA) has said local authorities in Zambia should work with traders to keep markets clean to prevent cholera outbreak.

AZIEA president Poster Jumbe said councils should invest in garbage collection measures so that trading places were kept clean.

“The council should work with traders to ensure that markets are kept clean so that traders are not exposed to cholera outbreaks,” Jumbe stated.

He said in an interview on Monday that once the waterborne disease escalates, the informal economy would be hit the hardest hence the need to work hand in hand to curtail the outbreak.

Jumbe said there was a need to ensure that all the garbage piling up in markets and townships are collected because they were breeding grounds for cholera.

He said there was also a need for the council to ensure that public toilets were kept clean at all times.

“Most of the public toilets that are run by the council are filthy, which makes it difficult to prevent waterborne diseases like cholera among others. We need to work together to ensure that public toilets are kept clean,”Jumbe said.

He said most markets face erratic supply of water hence the need to ensure that public places like markets have running water.

Jumbe suggested part of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) should be utilised towards improving water reticulation in public places such as markets among others.

He said the council and the association should also work together to ensure that traders and the community at large are adequately sensitised on the need to keep their surroundings clean and encourage the washing of hands before eating.

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