Last Friday’s heavy downpour of rain brought a deluge of garbage flooding the streets of Freetown including in Portee, along the new road. Freetown City Council, over the weekend, cleared the debris, which is largely caused by the dumping of garbage into gutters and waysides as well as deforestation. In order to reduce the risk of flooding this rainy season, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said they have identified key flood flash points for cleaning and remedial works. “With funding from RMFA and Irish Aid, and working in collaboration with RSLAF, FCC’s flood mitigation work has started and we intend to make sure that the city is flood free as we did last year,” the Mayor said. Freetown is particularly prone to floods caused by uncontrolled and uncoordinated human activities such as deforestation, slum settlements along waterways and hilltops and poor waste management that block drainages and other waterways. The annual average flood damage in the capital city has been estimated to be as high as $2.5 million USD a year. The Mayor said the FCC is raising awareness about the impact of poor waste management on the environment. It says that it will be embarking on a rigorous cleaning exercise, in especially disaster prone areas of Freetown; clear up drains, gutters and culverts; encourage communities to develop their own flood mitigation plans; and strengthen enforcement to prevent disposal of waste in gutters, culverts and waterways. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said flooding in Freetown is a regular problem during the rainy season, and the heavy rainfall, deforestation, buildings in streams; inadequate garbage collection and the inadequate design of the existing drainage infrastructure and poor maintenance have worsened the problem.

AT/10/5/19

Tuesday May 14, 2019.