By Nelson Manneh
Drivers and commuters plying the Latrikunda Sabaji Nema road, Friday September 21st 2018, decried the horrible conditions of the inundated road of Nema. Both drivers and commuters complain that whenever the downpours are heavy they will not be able to access the road.
This reporter visited the seen to see for himself, the condition of the road after recent downpours, and was able to meet some women and children, who were struggling to get to their homes in Nema and environs, due to lack of vehicles.
Some of the drivers who spoke to this reporter, said they will never sacrificed their vehicles for chicken change and pay huge sums on maintenance later, due to the terrible condition of the road, as they put it. Matarr Bah, one of the drivers who spoke to this reporter, said every week he spends more than two thousand dalasi on maintenance alone.
“The road is horrible, when it rains. We find it very difficult to use it. Sometimes it is very sad to see pregnant women struggling to go to Latrikunda, for medication. But we cannot help them, because in some areas, vehicles cannot cross at all, and if you risk it, your vehicle will end up in the garage;’’ that they have been calling on Government to come to their aid to no avail.
Fatou Mbye an elderly woman, said they find it difficult to access health facilities due to the bad road condition.
“We have no hospital and the road is a nightmare for us. Last year a pregnant woman died at home, because there was no vehicle to take her to the nearest health facility. This is sad,” she said; that in Nema Alkali, there is no good road, not to talk of water or electricity supply or a health facility.
She called on the authorities to come to their aid and address some of their concerns.
