By JANE  MWANSA –

.Kuseka

KITWE City Council (KCC) public relations manager Roy Kuseka has appealed to Kitwe residents to exercise good hygiene practices when disposing off used baby diapers.
Mr Kuseka said the local authority had received reports of the haphazard disposal of diapers which was posing a health hazard to the general public.
He said diapers if wrongly disposed had the potential to cause waterborne diseases especially in the raining season when the fecal matter was washed away into various water sources.
Speaking in an interview Mr Kuseka appealed to Kitwe residents to ensure that fecal matter was disposed in  lavatories and the diapers thrown in a separate bin.
He added that if not properly managed diapers attracted flies which could also cause serious waterborne diseases among others.
“As KCC we are appealing to all residents to practice good hygiene when disposing off diapers especially in the rain season when the fecal matter is washed away into various water sources which gets contaminated,” he said.
Meanwhile KCC acting assistant director of public health Fred Nkonde said the local authority was concerned with the reports of indiscriminate disposal of diapers and warned that the scourge if not addressed had the potential to cause diseases.
Mr Nkonde said diapers should be disposed in an environmentally acceptable manner in order to maintain a health environment.
“Throwing diapers in an open area attracts flies and pollutes the air. Therefore haphazard disposal of diapers in our communities should be discouraged,” he said.