By Lizzie Kamanga and Jaqueline Nkunika
Mzuzu, April 2, Mana: Residents in Mzuzu City are grappling with lack of free public sanitary facilities such as washrooms among others in public places.
Despite efforts by Mzuzu City Council in providing paying sanitary facilities, public demand for public toilets keeps on arising from users of different facilities such as markets within the city.
Random interviews with some of the residents revealed that finding restrooms, toilets bathrooms and lavatories is a daunting task, as many of the paying facilities are located in limited and specific places with inconvenient accessibility.
“Sometimes people who do not have money and would like to relieve themselves, resort to using undesignated public spaces such as backstreets, parks, pavements and sidewalks.
This trend is unhealthy as it poses a risk to members of the general public,” said Daudi Thera who is a second hand clothes vendor.
Another resident, Marble Phiri said that there are no free public restrooms and though other people may deem the paying facilities as cheap, others find it hard to afford paying for such facilities each time they want to relieve themselves.
“This leaves us with no option other than using open and undesignated public spaces,” said Phiri.
She adds that without proper and easily accessible facilities, people are at risk of diseases outbreaks and that the challenge is one of the contributing factors dirty vicinities in the city.
Another resident, Saidi Malata said it is not fair that access to basic facilities such as toilets should be tied to a fee.
Public Relations Officer for Mzuzu City Council Macdonald Gondwe said the council has no plans to construct free restrooms for public use.
“There are no plans of having free toilet. We plan to build more restrooms in the future but as of now they are enough in all strategic places to serve the people.
“It is not possible to have free toilets for public use because the council generate revenue from paying facilities for maintenance and cleaning of the same despite being one of the components of diversifying our revenue collection base.
About 90 percent of the council’s budget is supported by locally generated revenue through different fees,” said Gondwe.
