Kadoma residents urged to embark in community hygiene programmes

KADOMA City Council and its residents have been challenged to embark on community hygiene programmes in order to shake off the "dirtiest city" tag associated with the town.

Berina Community Radio Station reported that Environment Africa country director Barnabas Mawire, speaking at a clean-up campaign held in the town yesterday,challenged stakeholders to maintain tidy surroundings to combat the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

"We acknowledge that wherever there are people there is trash. A survey conducted in the recent past, I am sorry to say this, showed Kadoma was ranked the dirtiest among cities," he said.

"There is need to keep our environment clean, free of dirt to combat disease outbreaks. As we went around picking up litter, we noted the area around the railway station is very filthy and urgent attention should be taken to address this and remove the tag of being the dirtiest city," he said.

Mawire implored local business operators to adopt streets and alleys, which they would sweep regularly as is the trend in other cities. Mawire also encouraged recycling of waste.

Speaking at the same event, councillor Action Nyamukondiwa defended council, arguing it prioritised refuse management, a development, which had seen the local authority identify a landfill site at Blue Ranges.

Skip bins had also been procured to prevent littering, while council workmen were adhering to garbage collection schedules to rid communities of trash, particularly in light of the proliferation of illegal dumpsites in residential areas.

Mashonaland West Minister of State Faber Chidarikire, in a speech read on his behalf, urged councils to prioritise pollution-related issues while law enforcement agents should take deterrent measures against environment polluters.