The Mayor of Lusaka Miles Sampa has urged Councillors to quicken the process of formulating an On-site Sanitation by-law to improve sanitation in Capital City.
Sampa said bad on-site sanitation had been an underlying cause of most waterborne diseases in Lusaka.
Speaking yesterday when he officially opened the Councillors’ Onsite Sanitation By-Law Familiarisation Workshop at Ibis Gardens in Chisamba, Sampa said the sanitation status in Lusaka was still a challenge as majority of households used unapproved on-site sanitation and pit latrines, while others did not even have toilets.
“Most houses are not built according to the Public Health and Urban Regional planning standards and that has created challenges for delivery of basic social services such as water and sanitation,” Sampa said according to a state issued by Council Public Relations manager George Sichimba.
He said the Lusaka City Council therefore had a role of promoting a conducive and hygienic environment in all communities by ensuring that all households had the required sanitary facilities.
“This can be achieved through regulation of safe emptying and disposal of faecal sludge, raising awareness in communities on the importance of having approved sanitary facilities, promotion of appropriate solid waste management and disposal systems as well as development and enforcement of all relevant sanitation laws in communities,” Sampa said.
He said the workshop was an important step in the formulation of the by-law as it afforded Councillors an opportunity to scrutinise the content of the draft document.
Sampa said Councillors were important stakeholders hence the need to fully understand the impending law for them to explain to residents in their respective wards.
He said it was important for Councillors to leave a legacy of having formulated good by-laws aimed at improving the health and dignity of residents.
“I wish to appeal to all of you to pay particular attention to detail and make contributions so that the full Council meeting will just be a formality,” said Sampa.
Legal Services Committee chairperson Longa Chiboboka called for collective responsibility in the formulation of the On-site Sanitation By-Law.
Chiboboka, a councilor, observed that it would be a milestone for the current crop of Lusaka councillors to formulate important by-laws for the effective operation of the local authority.
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