Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has suspended all deductions for settlement of arrears by water kiosks on the prepaid billing platform to ensure wider access to safe water and avert cholera.

In a press statement released Tuesday, BWB said the gesture will help to contain the further spread of cholera to most areas in Blantyre by providing access to safe water for personal and hygiene use.

It further said the suspension will last until December 2022 when the matter will be reviewed.

Women drawing potable water at a kiosk

The decision follows reports that some water kiosks are not operational because their Water Users Associations were failing to purchase water tokens due to repayment of arrears upon a purchase.

Reads the statement in part:“The war against cholera can be won if people are provided with clean water for personal and food hygiene use. The board is aware that the cholera epidemic develops in areas with unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation, hence the intervention.”

Latest statistics from the Ministry of Health show that a total of 19 districts have reported cholera cases since the confirmation of the first case this year in March in Machinga District.

A total of 74 new cases and one death were reported on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed cases and deaths to 2 577 and 86 respectively, with Case Fatality Rate at 3.3 percent.

By yesterday, the disease had been reported in 13 districts, namely Nsanje, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Rumphi, Mzimba North, Machinga, Karonga, Zomba, Balaka, Kasungu, Mwanza and Mzimba South.

Ministry of Health Khumbize Chiponda in the Monday Cholera update highlighted poor food hygiene and lack of safe water as major factors associated with the cholera outbreak in the communities.

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