Gombe State begins water chlorination to prevent cholera outbreak

Gombe State Government has started distributing chlorine to the 11 local government areas as part of measures to mitigate cholera spread.

Dr Umar Musa, the Waste Manager of the Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA), made this known in an interview with NEWSVERGE in Gombe on Tuesday.

Musa said the targeted areas are wells, stagnant ponds and reservoirs, while areas that fetch water from rivers would get aqua tabs “since they cannot chlorinate a running river or stream.”

He added that the aqua tab would be given to them, and the personnel handling the chlorination would teach them how to apply it in their drinking water.

He explained that “chlorine is a measure to mitigate cholera spread because it will destroy all pathogens in water which contain the bacterium called Vibrio Cholerae which causes cholera infection and other water-born diseases.”

The manager, who said that the chlorine distribution would continue until December, added that “110 trained personnel are handling the distribution of both chlorine and the aqua tab to communities.

“The use of chlorine was the preventive method Gombe State also adopted in 2023 and it yielded positive results because there was no single case of cholera recorded.

“In 2023, however, the distribution was only to hot spots but this time around, we expanded to other areas and increased the quantity from six to 10 drums.

“Chlorination is a proactive measure against gastroenteritis and cholera, which is a water-borne disease.”

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, said “so far, of the cases of gastroenteritis recorded in the state, none turned out positive for Vibrio Cholerae.

“What we are doing in Gombe is more of preventive measures because people travelled during Sallah and on their return, they may habour the organism, hence the need for prevention.”

The commissioner emphasised the need for safe water and basic sanitation and hygiene practice as critical ways of preventing and controlling the transmission of cholera and other waterborne diseases.