The government has issued a three-week notice to Migori Teachers College to fix their sewerage system or face closure after locals complained of an imminent cholera outbreak.The residents living around the college situated within Migori town called on the institution to fix its drainage system following discharge of raw sewage into River Migori by the college, something that puts their health in danger.
Most affected are residents of Milimani, Oruba, Pand Pieri and Migori town traders who use the untreated water from river Migori for household chores.
"There is a lot of effluents discharged into the river whenever there is a downpour and we have complained to authorities and the institution to no avail. We need this fixed,” Kennedy Odongo, a resident of Oruba said.
Suna West sub-county public health officer Jacob Angira said they already issued the college with a 21-day notice to repair the sewerage system or face closure.
“They must treat the accumulated mass of effluent within the college compound and dry it up besides employing somebody to take care of it. If they fail to comply with the terms, action will be meted out on the administration,” the officer said.
When contacted by Hivisasa over the issue the college principal, Mary Clare Indire in a rejoinder said the issue has been blown out of proportion.
“Since I came to this college, I have received a lot of resistance from individuals mostly the insiders who feel that we (the administration) have blocked them in their business interests with the college,” the principal recently said.
She added they were experiencing financial constraints, but they are working on fixing the sewerage system.
“The situation is not as worse as they say because we have mitigation measures in place to prevent overflows,” she said noting “the sewer does not drain to the river, but in very few exceptional cases of abnormal downfall is when there is an overflow.”
On January 1, 2016, Indire acknowledged receipt of Sh2 million grant for rehabilitation of the sewerage system from the Ministry of Education Science and Technology.
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