By MUHAMMED .S. BAH
The National Disaster Management agency has on Wednesday started a two day training of communities on Waste Management and
drainage system maintenance in Campama ward Tobacco road Banjul.
This training which started on Wednesday 13 July 2016, at the Campama Ward Community Center is expected to end today Thursday 14 July 2016.This project according to the organisers is an EU funded project, in close collaboration with the Gambia government, which is aimed at empowering and building the capacities of various communities across the country on Waste and Drainage management to avert the occurrence of disaster and to keep the environment clean and safe for living.
Hudul Colley, Banjul Disaster Coordinator, explaining the project, noted that it has 2 components.
The first component of the project, he said, is to empower people within their areas in waste management and the second component is to build the capacities of people on the issue of waste management.
“We all know that there was a time when Tobaco Road was highly vulnerable to disaster such as flood, and it is called the hot spot in Banjul. This is due to lack of proper waste management as a result of the blockages that occur in the drainages, that causes water to hardly flow and thus causes flood,” he stated.
He also noted that the project is not only for the Capital city but will also be extended to other regions as well.
He further noted that at the end of the workshop, participants are expected to come up with better strategies and resolutions on how to address the issue of waste and problems of the drainage system. In his opening statement on behalf of the Mayor of Banjul, Mustapha Bachilly Chief Executive Officer Banjul City Council, underscored the importance of waste management and further referred to waste management as one of the most expensive projects one can venture into throughout the world.
“Waste management is a problem in the whole world, particularly in Banjul, where people handle waste any how they like, some even dump it in the sewages that causes blockages in the Sewage systems,” he asserted.
He further noted that BCC spends a lot of money to manage waste, which he said cannot be compared to the rates people are paying to the City Council. He appealed for people to change their attitude towards waste management. He also urged participants to make the best use of the training and disseminate the knowledge acquired during the workshop.
Dawda Drammeh, Councillor of the ward, thanked the NDMA, for identifying his ward as well as the city council.
He noted that this training will help a long way in creating awareness in his community on waste management.
Mr. Drammeh also called on people to change their attitude towards managing waste.
