Contaminated boreholes closed

Talent Gore

CITY of Harare has closed contaminated boreholes after recording 17 cases and 56 suspected cases of Typhoid.

The areas affected are the high-density suburbs of Glen View, Budiriro, Mbare and Glen Norah.

City of Harare Epidemiologist and Disease Control Officer, Dr Michael Vere, said the municipality had done water monitoring in the affected areas and closed some boreholes that were found contaminated with faecal matter.

“We are encouraging on-point treatment of drinking water. We have distributed aqua tabs at various clinics in those areas and throughout the western suburbs which we know are risky areas for typhoid,” he said.

“The boreholes that we tested and found with alkaline have all been closed.

“We are also strengthening health promotion activities in those areas so that people are aware of the methods to protect themselves from waterborne diseases,” he said.

He said in practicing good personal hygiene, people should understand that borehole water is not safe.

“This notion, where people think or assume that borehole water is much safer than municipal water need to be re-looked at,” Dr Vere said.

“People need to appreciate that, yes municipal water might not look too good, but it is safer than some of these water sources.

“Do not just eat food from anywhere. Practise good personal hygiene because the only way you can introduce salmonella, the typhoid bacteria, is when you drink or eat.”

The worst Harare has seen of its endless water crisis was the 2008-2009 cholera outbreak that killed over 4 000 people and infected more than 100 000 countrywide. Both deaths and infections were traced to the capital city as the epicentre of the health calamity.