Chigumula Market lacks water, toilets—vendors
Chigumula Market vendors in Blantyre have bemoaned lack of water and toilets, saying this frustrates efforts to achieve proper sanitation at the place.
The concern was made on Saturday during a cleaning exercise under Blantyre City Council’s Health Week.
This initiative is targeted at residents of the city to ensure that they clean their residential and business premises.
took part in the cleaning exercise
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, vendors deputy chairperson Rex Mnenula said because of lack of toilets and water, they are prone to water-borne diseases as they have to answer the call of nature in the nearby bush.
“Sweeping the surroundings is not enough for hygiene and sanitation. The market’s toilets are dilapidated and were closed for our safety four years ago,” he said.
As part of complementing BCC efforts of providing sanitation services, the vendors raised K80 000 for the construction of toilets.
In an interview, Blantyre City mayor Wild Ndipo, who took part in the exercise, said the council will ensure that sanitation facilities at the market are restored through the construction of 100 toilets in the city that also target markets.
“I have appreciated the situation and communicated with authorities at the council to bring water here. We are embarking on a project to ensure every market has water and enough toilets,” he said.
