Roads cannot last long without a proper drainage system. Compounds cannot be protected if the drains in the municipality are clogged. Now is the time to mobilise labour to clean the drains.
Foroyaa monitored the inefficient and ineffective method of cleaning the drains during the past rainy season. Those given the contract to clean the drains either did not have enough equipment or were unwilling to use them to ensure that all waste from the drains will be quickly removed and taken to waste disposal sites. Rather, all the rubbish would be put on the roadside, thereby affecting pedestrians and transports. In many cases, the rubbish would be left there until the rains would wash it back into the drains before collection.
Unemployment is rife in the municipality and the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Kanifing Municipality (KMC) could have mobilized labour pools from each ward and provide them with proper gears and just remuneration to clean all the drains within a short period of time before the heavy downpour of rains.
Foroyaa strongly recommends that the National Environment Agency (NEA) inspect all the drains and streets in the municipality and report on the degree of environmental degradation that the NRA and KMC should address to keep the drains clean and roads and compounds well protected from flood.
Courts should start receiving suits for damages caused by official negligence and citizens should start to seek the protection of the courts on losses from such negligence. That is the only way we can have a decent environment.
