Zambia: Itebe Ward Councilor in Mazabuka, Fanwell Lwiindi has announced that the fishermen of the community are returning to the fishing camps. The fishermen who were not official residents of the fishing camps had been asked to vacate previously.
The government of Zambia had been forced to take this step due to the rise in the number of cholera cases. Hundreds of families who had relocated due to the government directive have started to come back.
Itebe Ward Councilor Lwiindi talked to the media regarding the issue. He claimed that the fishermen families who are residents of the fishing camps are still in his ward. However, they are now contemplating going back.
He says these people have nowhere else to go as they are indigenous residents of the fishing camps. The families have been earning their livelihood through the fishing camps. They may not have any alternative long term livelihood to sustain them.
Meanwhile, Lwiindi also talked about another significant issue that the relocating families are facing in terms of hunger. The reduction of rain has led to low food availability for many communities of Zambia.
The residents of many communities have been facing food shortages, adding to the situation of insecurity. However, despite food being a major challenge for the relocated families, the administration is trying to provide food to the affected families.
Earlier, Mazabuka District Health Officer, Dr Steven Shajanika, encouraged people residing on islands to always follow health guidelines. This will help the people in preventing the spread of the cholera infection in the various parts of the country.
The situation which had prompted the initial relocation has become comparatively better as the number of deaths and infections have gone down. The Health Ministry of the country is urging the people to not take the development lightly.
The Ministry of Health believes that people should continue to take precautions to keep themselves safe. Cholera has claimed upwards of 700 lives in the last six-month period when the outbreak started.