Over the past few weeks the country has been experiencing a heavy down pour of rains, resulting in serious flooding, especially in the West Coast Region and some parts of the Kanifing Municipality.
While the cases of some flood victims are not that severe, the plight of many is indeed very serious.
For the most affected families, be it in the urban areas or in the provinces, their pressing need is where to lay their heads, and food to eat.
We, therefore, call on the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and other humanitarian organizations working in the country, to come to the aid of these and many other disaster victims in the country.
The recent floods in the country would, no doubt, create more burdens on the humanitarian organizations who are still working very hard to help respond to last year’s crop failure.
However, even the non affected neighbours could be of a little help to the most affected families, apart from providing them a place to stay temporarily in their compounds and houses.
Meanwhile, since it is difficult to predict the climate patterns, it is essential for people to be on the alert ahead of any uncertainties like floods.
Many houses over the past few weeks have been inundated with water, thus causing damage and loss of valuable properties to the affected families.
In the long run, proper urban planning is much needed, especially in the Greater Banjul area to avert the recurrence of these natural disasters.
For instance, people should be discouraged from settling in waterways, while some areas must be provided with a proper drainage system to allow the free flow of rain water.
