Good morning Honorable Minister responsible for the environment Lamin B. Dibba

Honorable Minister

Last Sunday morning I went to the Palma Rima beach to take a stroll on the beach to refresh my body and mind.

This is a beach I loved so much and had not visited for over 10 years.

To my utter dismay and worries when I reach the Kairaba Hotel Beach area I could not proceed any further.

There was a downward jump of about a meter high that I had to make in other to continue my beach walk. Due to my old bones I had to turn back with a heavy heart.

I was disappointed and saddened to see the magnitude of the beach erosion around the area. Just before Kairaba beach hotel a two meter wall is constructed five meters away from the hotel to stop the sea waves eating the hotel fence and guess what? This wall cannot contain the high waves during high tide.

Honorable Minister please take a walk and look for yourself at the Kairaba Beach area and see for yourself the DANGER which if not IMMEDIATELY contain can cause havoc and the disappearance of many hotels, beaches, restaurants and beach bars.

Honorable Minister, tourism being our second or third biggest industry with lots of investments and employment opportunities for the Gambia, it is therefore EXTREMELY urgent and important to STOP the sea sand mining activities forthwith if we want to save our seaside environment.

I know sand mining business operators will not be happy with this advice but national disaster considerations should take precedence over individual financial interest. 

Failing which, costly reclaim investments of beach areas shall be undertaken or else many billions of dalasis worth of hotel investments are at high risk of destruction.

Honorable minister from time immemorial beach sand was used to construct our buildings all over the country. It is NOW high time to spare the beach sand and look inland for sand for construction purposes.

Honorable Minister if you fail to act on this dreadful emergency situation we will soon lose our nice beaches, lose the tourist revenues and employment as well lose many structures built around the seaside in the SHORT term.

Honorable Minister, save our beaches for GOD’s sake.

Have a good day.

Author: Pa Njie Girigara