M’mbelwa council sets open defecation target

M’mbelwa District Council has said it wants all households in Mzimba District to have toilets with hand washing facilities by 2020.

The council’s director of administration Thom Nthali said this on Saturday when Mapupo Ndhlovu Village in Traditional Authority Mzukuzuku was declared open defecation free (ODF).

The declaration means all households of the eight villages under the GHV have pit latrines such that individuals do not depend on the bush to answer the call of nature.

Nthali said although the council has such an ambitious plan, the process of ensuring that all households have toilets is at a slow pace as only three group villages have been declared ODF.

“Mzimba is not doing well in ensuring that households have pit latrines. Since 2013, the other village to be declared ODF is Mapupo Ndhlovu.

“However, with the support from various non-governmental organisations [NGOs], we expect to achieve the target by the year 2020,” he said.

CCAP Synod of Livingstonia’s Development Department (Soldev) supported households in Mapupo Ndhlovu to achieve the feat.

Soldev monitoring and evaluation officer Gilbert Phiri said apart from the eight villages under GVH Ndhlovu, two others from a neighbouring GVH are ODF. n