By Madiba Singhateh
Fire outbreak at the Bakoteh dumpsite last week, scared some of the neighbors close to the perimeter fence of the landfill.
The fire which started on Saturday 16th June 2019 in the afternoon, scared the neighbors especially when it blazed towards some of the compounds. With the intervention of workers at the dumpsite, the youth and members of the fire and rescue services were able to control the situation from getting out of control.
Almamy Kanteh a neighbor whose compound is close to the dumpsite, told this reporter that they wanted to use the medium to put forward the concern of the people of Manjai Sanchaba, especially those close to the perimeter fence of the dumpsite. Kanteh said the fire started around 2.30 pm in the afternoon, and was aggravated by the presence of the wind; that this almost claimed the Manneh Kunda compound which is close to the dumpsite. He said the fire was put off due to the timely intervention of the youths and the fire service.
Fatou Sonko said they were worried when they saw the fire blazing towards their house.
She said they were about to watch the famous Senegalese Movie “Wiri Wiri “when they saw the fire coming towards them. She said they shouted for help and started removing materials from the compound so that the fire would not consume their properties.
Muhammed Sanyang, a staff at the dumpsite confirmed the fire incident but said they do not know the cause. He said it was serious, but due to the intervention of the Fire and Rescue services they were able to put off the fire. The council could not be reached for comment.
It could be recalled that the Kanifing Municipal Council together with Banjul City and the Brikama Area Council have established an inter-municipal committee to work on the eventual closure of Bakoteh dumpsite and put joint strategy for waste management.
The Mayor said in the last press conference he held that KMC faces the challenge of dealing with the numerous illegal dumpsites within the municipality.
