Chituwo Wants By-Law Breakers Punished

25 April 2011

LOCAL Government and Housing Minister Brian Chituwo has directed the local authorities to effectively enforce the necessary regulations to ensure that those contaminating the environment are caged.

In a statement to mark the ‘Make Zambia Clean and Healthy’ Commemoration week which started yesterday Dr Chituwo also directed all local authorities to facilitate the collection of garbage in the country.

The minister said as a result of the biggest challenge being posed by careless garbage dumping and lack of collection of such garbage, the focus of this particular commemoration would be on garbage collection.

“Today marks the week long commemoration of the ‘Make Zambia Clean and Healthy’ programme up to April 30. This programme has 14 areas of focus and I am pleased to announce that a lot has been achieved over the years in the implementation of focus areas,” he said.

He said local authorities should devise sustainable mechanisms of collecting garbage and ensure that cities were always clean and help to prove a healthy environment for human habitation.

“Indiscriminately disposed garbage has contributed to contaminating our drinking water causing water-borne diseases. I am, therefore, calling upon all producers and distributors of disposable items and stakeholders to actively contribute to making Zambia clean and healthy by providing facilities for solid waste management,” he said.

Dr Chituwo said it was important to avoid indiscriminate dumping of rubbish. He said this required serious change of mindset at various levels of society by beginning to appreciate that each one had a responsibility of promoting cleanliness and good health for everyone’s benefit.

The minister advised Zambians to stop throwing litter carelessly, especially on the streets because it made cities dirty, breeding grounds for all sorts of diseases, thereby causing drainage blockages, flooding and damage to property.

“You will agree with me that careless garbage dumping of plastic bottles and papers, empty packets of opaque beer, used scratch cards of air time is rife in most parts of the country, this should stop,” he said.

He appealed to all citizens to exercise self-restraint,personal respect and responsibility and look out bins or designated places for throwing garbage, stressing that cleanliness begun with oneself.

Dr Chituwo said although not withstanding the milestones being made on implementing some components of the programme, a lot needed to be done to make the programme a success.

He appealed to all line ministries, provincial and district, administrators, local authorities, traditional authorities, statutory bodies, public and private institutions, civil society organisations, individuals and the general public at large to participate in this commemoration aimed at improving the environment and everyone’s health.

AllAfrica – All the Time