Treat water at point of use: Unicef

should be on point of use treatment as well as stringent personal hygiene, the United Nations Children’s Fund has said.
Shock chlorination is the introduction of a strong chlorine solution into the entire water distribution system, it could be a well, pump, distribution pipeline or borehole.
Shock chlorination is an effective treatment method to eliminate disease causing bacteria in drinking water supplies.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday, Unicef’s representative Dr Peter Salama said at the moment it is not clear whether the boreholes are really contaminated.
“The committee’s deliberations have really pointed to the fact that different laboratories are giving different results” Dr Salama said.
He said Unicef has been involved in the tests through its representatives who sit in some of the committees who are conducting the tests. He, however, said it is important to bear in mind that during an outbreak, there are many ways of transmitting diseases.
“These could be through contaminated water or person to person transmission,” Dr Salama said.
He said what Unicef is recommending during this typhoid outbreak is for residents to treat water at the point of use.
“It is very important that all people particularly, those residing in the focal outbreak areas thus Kuwadzana, Dzivarasekwa and Warren Park to treat their water at the point of use.
“To be able to do that, Unicef is supplying aqua-tablets and other non-food items such as bucket, oral rehydration solutions,” he said.
He added that the message for the whole population is “wash your hands, before and after eating meals and after using the bathroom”.
Dr Salama said given evidence that water from the boreholes may be contaminated, it is better to be safe, thus council should conduct “shock chlorination”.
“That is chlorination of all the shallow wells and boreholes in the affected areas, so that there is no risk from any water source, but again that should go hand in hand with the point of use because even if water is safe, it can be contaminated at the point of use.”
Recently Harare City Council said 50 percent of boreholes sunk at the height of cholera outbreak during 2008 and 2009 period were contaminated.
Officials from the City of Harare said some of the test results revealed that some of the boreholes are contaminated with faecal matter while others have too much metal content.
Unicef sank about 50 percent of boreholes in Harare.
Meanwhile, Unicef has received an additional US$6,7 million from the Australian government’s International Development Assistance Programme to improve the country’s water and sanitation situation.
Under this grant more than 260 000 people from Chiredzi, Rusape, Bindura, Chipinge, Karoi, Shurugwi and Plumtree are set to benefit from intensified efforts to reduce the risks of cholera and other water-borne diseases through the rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems and hygiene promotion interventions.
With this funding, Unicef also hopes to help revive institutional capacity by adding efficiencies to the billing systems and customer service.
“This support is critical for improving access to services for the poorest women and children.
“Investment in safe water and appropriate sanitation is critical to prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases and will assist Zimbabwe to meet many of the Millennium Development Goals,” Dr Salama said.
It is estimated that 27 percent of the nation’s population do not access safe water and 40 percent do not have access to safe sanitation.
“The Emergency Rehabilitation and Risk Reduction Programme is making a positive contribution to our strategic goal to reduce poverty, save lives and promote opportunities for all regardless of gender, age or physical attributes,” said Australia’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Matthew Neuhaus.