A delegation from the Urban Municipality of Antananarivo (CUA) conducted a crackdown operation yesterday. Several violators of hygiene regulations were sanctioned. Residents were summoned yesterday to the office of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Department of the CUA in Isotry for non-compliance with municipal hygiene code provisions. These violations were discovered during a crackdown operation led by hygiene inspectors, municipal police, and representatives from various municipal departments.
In Ambalavao-Isotry, the first intervention site, merchants were caught red-handed abandoning waste in front of their premises, garbage that subsequently scattered across the street. In the same neighborhood, street vendors were sanctioned for lacking protective display cases, aprons, or head coverings. "Several people received summons, but we don't know if everyone appeared. They were also ordered to immediately restore the areas," said a fokontany official from Ambalavao-Isotry.
In Anosibe, where a CUA team also conducted operations, four people were reportedly summoned. "Several violations were noted: a small restaurant's kitchen doubled as a shower, a household's toilets drained directly into canals, one individual threw garbage on public roads, and another was particularly uncooperative," a local source stated.
Sanctions include fines and mandatory cleanup obligations. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Department has not yet released a complete report of this first operation. "We are still collecting data. The only information we can share is that people caught polluting public spaces were ordered to clean," the department stated.
This operation reportedly led to slight improvements in cleanliness in Ambalavao-Isotry, according to fokontany observations. "But it remains to be seen how long it lasts," the source cautioned.
Despite these controls, poor sanitation continues in many neighborhoods including Isotry, Anosibe, Analakely, and Behoririka. Garbage scatters across streets and merchants occupy roads, disrupting traffic. However, these merchants claim they fulfill their duties: "Every morning, we sweep this area," said a merchant outside the municipal building in Ambodin'Isotry, where the street remains cluttered with stalls and littered with waste.