BY: MORRO ML MINTEH
Flooding at the Banjul Ferry Terminal entrance of raw sewerage from drainages, still persists.
This Foroyaa reporter on his investigation to meet with the authorities and to get their views on the matter, has been moving from one place to another in search of answers.
The Program Manager on Environmental Health at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Saikou Mafugie Fatajo, told this reporter that they are aware of the situation at the Banjul Ferry Terminal entrance and are very much concerned with the hygiene and safety of the public; that the flooding and malfunction of sewerage system, is caused by the dumping of human waste into the toilets and other materials in the streets particularly during the rainy season; that the sewerage overflows its contents because of the runoff water from the heavy rains, which brings with it rubbish of all sort to block the entrance of the manholes of the sewerage system, where the runoff water is to enter the system; that as a result, the pipe cannot pomp the waste into the canal, due to a blocked sewerage system; that added to this is that the system is dilapidated and out dated; that Banjul Ferry terminal is not the area affected alone, but that situation is the entire City of Banjul.
Fatajo further called on the residents of Banjul in collaboration with the health sector and the national environment agency, to sensitize the people on how to manage waste, and control the situation; that Banju City Council and NAWEC alone, do not have the capacity to control and manage the sewerage system in Banjul, without Government interfvention. He denied the statement that NAWEC has nothing to do with the Banjul Ferry services, as said by the PRO of of the national Utility Company; that the GPA Ferry Service’s toilet pipes are connected to the main sewerage pipes in the street, and NAWEC is responsible for this. He referred this reporter to the ASP of Banjul Sewerage Pumping Station, where upon arrival, the Security informed the reporter that Abou Bah, who looks after the Pumping Station, was out.
The reporter was taken on a conducted tour of the Sewerage Pumping Station’s facilities where he observed that human waste, causes the blocked of pipes.
