The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Emergency Working Group has distributed water purification materials to four local government areas affected by cholera in Ebonyi.
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Mr Ibiyemi Olu-Daniels, WASH in Emergency team leader made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
Olu-Daniels said that the group also carried out sensitisation on water safety to affected communities and analysis testing to know the source of water contamination.
According to the team leader, the test results show that the water sourced from affected communities has been contaminated, especially River Ebonyi and some unprotected hand-dug wells.
NAN recalls that the outbreak of cholera in Ebonyi claimed the lives of 21 persons with 155 cases reported.
Olu-Daniels said the group also inaugurated the State WASH in Emergency Working Group to be responsible for sustaining the campaign against poor practices that exposed the people to cholera and other water related diseases within the local government areas.
“The WASH in Emergency Response Team visited Amachi Autonomous Community, Eligwu Nsigwo village in Onicha LGA and Idioke-Ndiebo Ishieke in Ebonyi LGA.
“The samples of water from boreholes, motor parks and households were taken for laboratory analysis to ascertain the source of the cholera outbreak in those affected Communities.
“The test results showed that most of them drank water from unprotected water sources and we told them to always purify the water by boiling among other methods,” he said.
He said the group would also carry out hygiene promotion in the affected communities as measure to reduce the risk of disaster.
The group comprised state ministries of water resources, health, environment, education, information, budget and planning, urban and regional development, UNICEF, WASH NGOs, SEMA, NIMET among others.