By Yiep Joseph
Central Equatoria State (CES) Cholera Task Force has launched a cleaning campaign in Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) camp 3 in Juba to improve hygiene and control spread of cholera.
Paulino Lukudu, CES Deputy Governor and Chair of the State Cholera Task Force, while launching the event, called on the IDPs to embark on massive garbage collection.
He revealed that the state government and partners provided garbage collection cars to ensure that the area was kept clean.
“The issue of garbage that has been accumulated here in POC can lead to the spread of cholera, and that is why we came with garbage collection cars to be collecting garbage to keep the POC clean,” he said.
Lukudu urged the residents in the camp to ensure that their homes were clean to prevent the spread of cholera.
He emphasized the need for all citizens to voluntarily keep the surroundings clean in order to rescue people from dangerous cholera.
The deputy governor stated that during cholera outbreak, the government’s priority is to ensure that people in the POC are protected.
“When cholera came, the first people we wanted to rescue their lives were those in the POC; that is why we came today to say the vaccination,” he said.
Lukudu expressed that the garbage collection cars and the sewage truck will work in the POC to ensure that the areas are clean.
Elijah Hon, the camp chairman, applauded the government for providing cars for garbage collection, adding that hygiene-related issues continue to be so challenging.
He called on the IDPs to clean their homes and surroundings to prevent the spread of cholera.
In 2020 the UN Protection of Civilians (POC) site in Juba was redesignated into temporary camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) under the sovereign protection of the Government of South Sudan.