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Rumphi council asked to close 50 bars

 

Senior Chief Mwankhunikira of Rumphi has asked the council for the Northern Region district to toughen rules on aquisition of business licences by only granting them to bar operators whose premises have basic sanitary facilities.

The chief’s call comes at a time when many people complain about noise from bars.

Mwankhunikira: Some bars have poor sanitary facilities
Mwankhunikira: Some bars have poor sanitary facilities

Mwankhunikira said in an interview the district council seemed to be more obsessed with collecting more revenue at the expense of public health by issuing business licences to bar operators whose premises leave a lot to be desired.

“Some public places like bars at Rumphi Boma have poor sanitary facilities yet they are still operating. Our council should not be obsessed with collecting more revenue by turning a blind eye to poor conditions that are a threat to public health in such premises.

“There is no way we can attain public health for all in our district by certifying bar  operators whose premises are extremely filthy and revellers  urinate everywhere,” Mwankhunikira observed.

 

She also specifically asked chiefs under him to lead by example by having basic sanitation facilities.

 

“As chiefs you need to be exemplary by having a toilet with all basic facilities in place. It will be difficult for a chief without a toilet to convince your subjects to dig a latrine.”

 

Rumphi District Council chairperson Lillian Chirambo said all public places need good sanitary facilities.

“We need not to focus our attention on attaining  sanitation only at household level, but we must also shift our spotlight to all public places if we want our district  to be free from diseases caused by poor sanitation practices,” she said. n

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