By Louise Jobe
Information received by this medium reveals some serious devastating impacts of illegal sand mining during the night by individuals and its negative effects on rural roads around Gunjur Beach in the Kombo Central District of the West Coast Region.
According to a source, the illegal sand mining is increased by unscrupulous individuals on not only the beach dunes, but also public and private properties.
Ismaila Darboe, a resident of Gunjur and a property owner around the sand mining area, said truck drivers frequently trespass on properties to access the sand mining sites. He said a well-coordinated operation is being orchestrated by these individuals who sell sand to truck drivers, who wait until nighttime to conduct their dubious operations.
According to Darboe, this illegal sand mining trade has shown no signs of slowing down, adding that the perpetrators operate at night, even under adverse weather conditions. He said that despite being banned, a group of operators in Gunjur and Sambuya villages continue to wreak destruction on the environment just to get some trips of sand by any means necessary.
He said the illegal activities of these truck drivers cause enormous damage to properties and immense distress to residents with sleepless nights.
Equally, women gardeners whose fences are destroyed are left with nowhere to farm or to carry out their vegetable gardening, thereby threatening their livelihoods.
Lamin Jammeh, an environmental activist and native of Gunjur, said the Chairperson of Gunjur Village Development Committee (VDC), is constrained in his capacity to tackle the issue.
When contacted for his reaction on the claim that authorities, including the Alkalo, the Geology Department, and the Gambia Police Force are aware of this illegal sand mining activity during the night in Gunjur, Tijani Bojang, the Chairperson of Gunjur VDC, said they lack the legal authority to intervene directly in stopping this illegal activity.
According to the Alkalo and VDC Chairperson, they have engaged the drivers to stop the illegal sand mining on several occasions, but their words fell on deaf ears. He said the people behind this illegal sand mining are truck owners and their drivers, and the ‘Kabilos’ who claimed ownership of these areas.
According to Mr. Bojang, the unregulated nature of these illegal sand mining activities poses significant safety risks for the people, particularly during the rainy season. He said that these activities can lead to dangerous conditions because the trucks navigate muddy and unstable routes to the sand mining sites. He said these open mines are filled with rainwater, which poses a significant danger for children who frequent them as pools for swimming. According to Mr. Bojang, at least one death has been claimed by these open mines when a young boy drowned in one of the open pits.
He however continued that the consequences of this illegal sand mining during the night in Gunjur are a major concern for them. He said the random illegal removal of sand continues to destabilize coastal and inland areas, causing severe erosion, loss of habitats, and disruption of local ecosystems. He said the once thriving forest areas are being decimated with particular reference to the ‘Senya forest’ and other affected areas that have suffered significant losses due to the illegal activities of a few unscrupulous individuals.
Meanwhile, in his concluding remarks, environmental activist Lamin Jammeh, who works at NEA, said he will not stop exposing these illegal activities and will write a report to that effect.
