The Lilongwe City Council in Malawi’s capital, has given the owners of the City Mall a five day ultimatum to maintain the sewage tank which broke down some four months ago.
The sewage which has been producing bad smell to the shops around the mall also affects people who pass near or enter the mall.
Public relations officer for Lilongwe City Council, Tamara Chafunya, said the smell is causing people within and surrounding the shopping mall to be in danger of getting diseases.
“This is against the Healthy Act if the owners of the building or any other infrastructure whose pipes or tanks are broken and they are not doing anything we as the city councils official we intervene on the issue.
“[For] 4 months people have been suffering with smell. They are supposed to maintain it immediately within the days we have given them,” she said.
She further said that as a city, Lilongwe needs to be clean each and every time and not causing threat to people living in it.
Owners of the mall did not comment on the issue but they have promised to maintain the sewage tank.
One of the business people at the mall, Effort Upindi, said that business at the mall is failing to pick up due to low turn up of customers.
“Due to the problem at the city mall, I have been selling less. Customers are not coming, they are going to other shops because of the smell,” he said. “The visit by the Lilongwe city council officials I believe will change things.”
They should repair their public toilets, they in a very bad shape, you cant shit in them