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Nation commemorates sanitation week |
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Monday, 17 September 2012 17:41 |
 Zimbabwe is this week commemorating National Sanitation Week against the backdrop of outbreaks of diseases such as bilharzia which is fast becoming an emerging major health problem in the country.
The sanitation week that was launched in Harare, seeks to remind stakeholders of the need to ensure that Zimbabweans have access to proper sanitation and clean water.
With reports that bilharzia outbreaks have been recorded in some parts of the country, especially in the rural areas, it raises questions on why the country should be having such diseases such as bilharzia at the time when the world is putting efforts in promoting good hygiene.
In an interview at the launch of the National Sanitation Week in Harare, the Environmental Services Director in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Mr Goldberg Mangwandu says Zimbabwe needs to increase efforts to promote good hygiene and invest in toilets and clean water provision.
This comes at a time when the country is grappling with diseases that are caused by poor hygiene and water shortages.
“As a country we are worried about the outbreak of bilharzia which is a primitive disease which can be avoided through improved sanitation, we are saying there is need to revive the community health groups for awareness building,” Mangwandu said.
The Institute of Water and Sanitation Technical Officer, Ms Remembrance Mushava said the focus now is on zero tolerance to open defecation as this leads to contamination of water sources.
She said: “We are trying to make sure that the campaign on open defecation bears fruit because such practices also contribute to poor sanitation.”
Meanwhile, the City of Harare has embarked on a programme of educating the public on the need to improve on hygiene to avoid the outbreaks of water-borne diseases.
Zimbabwe paid a high price for its limited investment in sanitation and water programmes between 2008 and 2009.
It is estimated that more than 4 000 people died from cholera and over 100 000 were infected because of poor hygiene and a lack of toilet facilities.
The recent recurrence of bilharzia should serve as a wake up call to relevant authorities to ensure that people have access to proper sanitation facilities and clean water.
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