LWB fights cholera in Nkhata Bay
Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) on Wednesday donated 250 kilogrammes (kg) of chlorine to areas that have been hit by cholera in Nkhata Bay District.
This follows a request from presidential advisor on national unity Symon Vuwa Kaunda to the LWB Board on Tuesday.
LWB chief executive officer (CEO) Alfonso Chikuni said his organisation felt duty-bound to donate the chlorine considering that people from the affected areas could travel to Lilongwe and spread the disease.
“Nkhata Bay is way beyond our area of supply, but we live in a society where we are related in so many ways and we interact freely and by travelling to and from Nkhata Bay, members of the community could transfer the outbreak to Lilongwe,” he said.
Chikuni said as a company serving Malawians, LWB was proud to play a role in helping contain the outbreak in Nkhata Bay.
Kaunda, who was accompanied by Nkhata Bay North West parliamentarian Commodious Nyirenda (independent), commended the Board for swift response.
Kaunda described the cholera outbreak in Nkhata Bay as a situation calling for immediate attention.
“A donation of 250kg of chlorine is not a minor thing to do especially considering that Nkhata Bay is outside LWB’s jurisdiction. But these are Malawians who are suffering in Nkhata Bay, and like the CEO said, LWB serves Malawians,” he said.
Nyirenda also said when administered, the chlorine would save lives of those affected in Nkhata Bay, some of whom were his constituents.
By Wednesday, 36 cases of cholera were recorded at Nkhata Bay District Hospital with 12 admitted to an isolated ward, according to Kaunda.
He said most of the affected areas were under Traditional Authorities (T/As) Mkumbira, Timbiri and Mankhambira.
The first cases of the cholera outbreak in the country were reported in Machinga and Zomba. n
