KITWE district commissioner Binwel Mpundu has with immediate effect banned the sale of foodstuffs on the streets as a way of curbing cholera in the District.

And Kitwe mayor Christopher Kango’mbe says there is need for government to help with the procurement of five brand new trucks for garbage collection in all big markets.

Meanwhile, Ndola has recorded the second case of cholera.

Speaking during a meeting at the City Council, Mpundu said it was important that all marketeers selling foodstuffs stopped and must be removed from the streets.

“We have banned the sale of meat, fish and chicken products from the streets because they are also prone to inviting cholera. So we need public health inspectors to go round the market and make sure no one is found selling such products,” Mpundu said.

He said public health inspectors should ensure that all gathering places such as bars and tarvens were inspected to guarantee proper sanitary conditions.

Mpundu said the local authority should find means and ways to partner with stakeholders who would assist drilling ten boreholes that would help provide water in the community.

He has further advised Nkana Water and Sewerage Company to stop water disconnections in homes as doing so may cause water borne diseases.

“All health inspectors should immediatly start giving disinfectants to passegers coming from Lusaka and other places as a way of avoiding the out break,” Mpundu said.

“We need about ten boreholes that will help in providing clean safe drinking water and there is need to partner with stakeholders as a way of effecting this project. But my appeal is going to NWSCO, please this is not the time to cut off people from having water in their homes. Ensure that every household has water and as government, we will also come in and assist with the provision of chemicals,” said Mpundu.

And Kang’ombe said upgrading of all unplanned settlements could help keep cholera away from the city.

He said $50 million was requred to upgrade five compounds in the city because they were operating with no proper sanitation.

“There is need to demolish some shops in Chisokone market because they are built on top of sewer lines, therefore hindering the flow of effluent,” said Kang’ombe.

“There is need for us to find five truck that will help in collecting garbage. The thing is that we have 26 markets in the city and five are very problematic, including Chisokone market. These are very heavily populated so each of the five markets needs a dedicated truck that will be going to collect the garbage and if governement can asist with the procurement of these, it will make our job easy. And the other problem is that we have shops that have been built on top of drainages and sewer lines and these need to be unblocked.”

And the Ministry of Health has confirmed the second case of cholera in Ndola.

“Yes, there is a case of cholera in Ndola,” said Ministry of Health head of communications Stanlous Ngosa.

Health authorities in Ndola said the case was not imported from any place.

The patient, a 28-year-old man of Chifubu in Ndola, is recuperating in hospital.

Ndola recorded its first cholera case five weeks ago which was imported from Lusaka.