NGO installs chlorine dispensers in Zomba

Zomba District Health Office (DHO) chief prevention officer Innocent Mvula says water treatment is key to reducing cholera and diarrhoea cases.

The officer said this on Monday in Zomba when he appreciated the impact of chlorine dispensers Evidence Action installed in the district’s cholera hotspots such as Lake Chilwa Basin since 2013.

The dispensers are fixed near boreholes, wells and rivers where communities treat the water with a drop of chlorine into one 20-litre bucket after drawing it from water sources.

“Since the inception of the dispensers, there has been a reduction in cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks,” Mvula said.

On his part, the organisation’s country director, Prince Kasinja, pledged continued support through installation of chlorine dispensers in the district.

“It is cheaper to prevent cholera than to treat it; hence, the initiative,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of other communities, Fyness Mbilima described the project as crucial in the fight against waterborne infections.

The organisation has installed 3 811 chlorine dispensers benefitting about 135 000 households in the district.