Salvation Army has donated chlorine worth K2.5 million to Karonga District Hospital to promote sanitation and hygiene in the district.
Speaking after presenting the donation on Monday, the group’s programme manager Matthews Tulombolombo said even though the district has registered zero cases of cholera for about a month, sanitation and hygiene practices need scaling up.
He said as one of the water and sanitation hygiene (Wash) players in the district, their duty is to complement government’s efforts in the fight against communicable diseases such as cholera.
“As Wash players, we are not just supposed to react during an outbreak. This is the right time to take precautionary measures,” said Tulombolombo
Karonga district environmental health officer Lewis Tukula said the donation is timely as some people displaced by floods and currently living in camps need treated water.
“We use chlorine to clean toilets and utensils. We also use it to treat people affected by cholera to kill the germs that transmit the disease,” he said.
Tukula said about 58 000 people will benefit from the 40 drums of chlorine for about two months.
Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian Church and an international charity organisation.