Kinshasa, July 23rd, 2025 (CPA).– The health challenges of the province of Tshopo, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, were discussed on Wednesday during a meeting in Kinshasa, the country’s capital, between the governor of the province and the CEO of Regideso SA.
‘We came to pay our respects to the General Director of Regideso and to discuss in depth the health challenges facing our province, particularly the cholera epidemic caused by difficulties in supplying drinking water,’ has declared Paulin Londongola, Governor of Tshopo. ‘Together with the director of Regideso, we have examined ways and means to put an end to this situation, because the problem of drinking water supply in this part of the Republic is a long-standing headache that unfortunately puts the lives of the population at risk,’ he has added.
For his part, David Tshilumba, General Director of Regideso, has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to do everything possible to support the provincial authorities in improving the quality of and access to drinking water in households, which are essential factors in stopping the spread of waterborne diseases. He has praised the efforts made by the authorities in seeking to eradicate the disease, before reassuring the governor the efforts of Regideso in water treatment and its willingness to restore drinking water in all provinces of DRC. ‘Access to safe water remains a fundamental right to stop the spread of disease,’ he has concluded.
Four thousand four hundred and fifty (4,450) cases of cholera, including 279 deaths, have been reported in the province Tshopo since the provincial governor has officially declared the epidemic on April 7th. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cholera is an acute, highly contagious intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. This infection is transmitted through the consumption of food or water contaminated with faecal matter and can cause severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration, which can be fatal.