Watipaso Mzungu

Lilongwe City Council (LCC) has introduced stringent measures for preventing the spread of Coronavirus into the city whichy  include hefy fines and penalties for companies, which do not conform to the set guidelines when disposing off garbage and waste.

Mayor for the Council, Councillor Juliana Kaduya, has since urged companies to improve on sanitation and hygiene, warning that any compromise on litter and waste management may result in sealing off of entities that put lives of the residents at risk.

Kaduya made the remarks in Lilongwe on Wednesday when she briefed journalists on what the council is doing to prevent the deadly virus.

She said the council is working with supermarkets, banks, hotels, places of worship and other places where people gather in multitude to introduce and promote soap handwashing behaviour in their premises and ensure that they are implementing any restriction that government may announce from time to time.

“The Council will work with market committees in all its markets to strengthen awareness and soap handwashing and other hygiene practices by traders and buyers. We will also work with head teachers and other stakeholders in all the schools to create awareness and prevention measures to teachers and learners,” she narrated.

Kaduya further assured that the council has also put in place measures to protect its own staff to ensure that they are always available to deliver the essential services that make the city livable.

The LCC chief executive officer, John Chome, said the council will support 9, 000 urban poor families with modern latrines and toilets in an effort to improve their sanitation and hygiene status.

Chome added that the council will soon introduce boom-gates at the dumpsite in Area 38 as a measure to ensure that waste is properly disposed of.

“The council is aware of the concerns residents are raising about poor waste disposal at our dumpsite. So, we are taking steps to address this problem by introducing boom-gates so that every vehicle that goes to the site is monitored and the driver is guided where he can dispose the waste,” he said.