The Lusaka City Council has closed Chamba Valley Primary School with immediate effect for operating without water and with closed toilets, leading to open defecation.

In a statement, LCC assistant public relations manager Brenda Katongola said the school’s facilities posed a health hazard to pupil.

“LCC has ordered for the closure of Chamba Valley Primary School in Lusaka for contravening the provisions of the Public Health Act Cap 295 of the Laws of Zambia, Local Government (Solid Waste Management) regulations of 2011 and Statutory Instrument (SI) number 12 of 2018 of the Local Government Act number 281 on Street vending and nuisances. An inspection of the premises was conducted by the Public Health inspectors from LCC on 15th January, 2019 to ascertain the prevailing health conditions at the school and discovered that the school was operating under unsanitary conditions. There was open defection around the school premises, there was no access to sanitary facilities for pupils as the toilets were closed at the time of inspection and there was no running water,” Katongola stated.

“Other findings were that non-subscription to waste management, dirty sanitary facilities (toilets) for staff both male and female, no provision of waste receptacles in classrooms, poor vegetation control (tall grass), improper waste management (littered surroundings and use of a pit to dispose off waste) and no provision of hand wash facilities. The school has been ordered to close until remedial measures are put in place and a re-inspection of the premises is conducted in accordance with the given instructions.”

And Katongola stated that LCC had terminated its contract with Parkrite in accordance with clause 3 of the provisional terminal breach clauses of agreement on January 7.

“This is in accordance with clause 3 of the provisional termination breach clauses of the Agreement; however, Parkrite will continue operations for the next three months until 7th April, 2019 within which they are expected to wind up their activities and handover the parking sites back to the Council. The issue is currently in court,” she stated.

LCC and Parkrite signed the MoA on October 12, 2016.

In a related development, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has withdrawn the case in which they had sued the council for failure to supply with site restoration orders issued on 1st august 2018. Pursuant to section 60 of the environmental management act no. 12 of 2011.

LCC was ordered to remove waste in parts of Garden, Kanyama and Misisi townships and the Town Centre and restore the sites to conditions satisfactory to ZEMA.