KEEP VENDORS OFF LUSAKA STREETS

For those who may know it, dirty surroundings are also bad news to young children and older people who are at the greatest risk for environment-related deaths.
This is because numerous respiratory infections and diarrhoea-related diseases mostly impact children while older people easily tend to have non-communicable diseases such as stroke, heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory complications.
There are reports elsewhere that suggest that one-fourth of deaths worldwide have been attributed to unhealthy environments.
A healthy environment underpins a healthy population and if Zambia does not take action to make environments where people can live and work healthily, it goes without saying that we would be inviting a host of killer diseases in our midst.
We are also aware that a clean environment has shown to improve the recovery chances of people with terminal illnesses, and even reduce the risk of other diseases like obesity and diabetes.
The importance of keeping the environment clean can therefore not be overemphasized because we get fresh air, reduce pollution as well prevent the arrival of diseases.
Cleanliness saves a lot of resources including time and money when fighting the outcomes from dirty surroundings
The message is simple. The purposes of cleanliness are health, beauty, absence of offensive odour and to avoid the spreading of dirt, diseases and contaminants to oneself and others.
So those condemning street vendors in Lusaka who have continued to disobey council orders that bar them from vending especially in our Cairo, Cha Cha Cha Roads and Freedom Way in the evening, must be supported fully.
It is however soothing to learn too that Lusaka City Council Public relations officer, George Sichimba has assured the residents of stern action against all those involved in night vending who leave the city littered behind.
Mr. Sichimba has admitted that evening vendors are the major reason why the town is dirty because they leave litter everywhere when knocking off.
“Let me warn all those doing night or evening Street vending that it is illegal and the law will visit them soon,” Mr. Sichimba says.
But as usual those who cannot see sagacity in this have taken to grouchy to back up their bad ways and making our city dirty at every corner.
We are talking about stubborn street vendors who will not spare their thoughts for the need of a clean environment.
Some street vendors have repeatedly argued that staying in the markets does not help sales so much compared to being in the streets, especially in the evening.
One of such callous street vendors is Michelle Habeenzu, a widow with four children who says she has nowhere to sell her Salaula to feed her family since City Market was guttered and no proper alternative place has been provided by the council. She may have a point but that is not justification for littering our town
“Ine nebo widow nalikwata abana bali four, ninebo uba lyisha, so nga sha chitishe ndishi abana taba lye elo epo yapila city market taba tupelo inchende tunga chitilepo ama kwebo,” Mrs Habeenzu said.
Another vendor Gift Chilongo, 34 a family man, wrongly insists that if he does not vend in streets his family will starve although he is aware that it is illegal to sell in the streets.
“Tiziba nimulandu but njala nayo ibaba elo nchito kulibe so ngati sitina gulese mu street tizadya chani, ba council nabo bafunika kuziba ati ngati tense na option sembe sitima bwela mu street, mu market ma customers siba bwela muma zulo that’s why tima ba konka,” Mr Chilongo says
It is believed that evening street vending has been going on ever since the joint operation by security wings was abandoned.
The joint operation was commissioned by President Edger Chagwa Lungu in an attempt to end cholera that that ravaged the town in 2017.
Let us stop making our surroundings dirty and live a clean life