Heavy rains for the past three days took residents of the Kanifing Municipality by surprise, with large areas of Serrekunda, Churchill’s Town, Kotu and Manjai flooded, rendering roads impassable, as well as leaving compounds inundated with water and washing away household materials.
The rains, which poured down on Saturday, Sunday through Monday morning, were reported to have caused serious floods in many compounds within the municipality, and a number of stricken victims lamented their loss to this reporter, blaming it on what they called the municipality’s poor drainage system.
In Manjai Kunda, many tenants were forced out of their compounds due to the flooding.
“We have been forced by the flood to pee in plastic bags and containers, cook, wash and eat under our verandas,” said one Miss Jaw.
She lamented that despite all their sufferings, landlords continue to increase house rents the most recent one being from D1300 to D1500.
“We have complained about the current situation of some of the compounds, but to no avail,” she told this reporter, who was on the ground to ascertain the level of damage caused by the floods.
While describing their current living condition as miserable, Jaw called on the authorities in particular the Kanifing Municipal Council, to come to their aid.
“Currently all the houses are filled with water; we cook and do everything in the water,”Aja Dalla Bojang, a landlord in Manjai Kunda, told this reporter.
According to her, the compound has four different buildings with a total of 47 inhabitants, and the flood has forced some of them out.
“We have done everything possible by adjusting the fence, among others, to remedy the situation, but to no avail,” she said, while calling on the relevant authorities to come to their aid.
One Bintou Jabbie lamented the condition in which she and her family continued to live, adding that water is everywhere within their residence.
“Even at night, we find it very difficult to sleep; we put the seats on top of each other in order to be able to sleep. Even as we speak, the dirty water from the street and the toilets are all coming into our houses. You must wade through the water to get in and out of the houses,” she stated.
“The flood has penetrated into my house and even beyond. As of now, I don’t even know where to seek shelter because the whole neighbourhood has been affected. This is really serious,” she added.
Elsewhere in Churchill’s Town, business operators within the area also complained about the flooding in their area, describing the situation as unfortunate.
“I hardly make sales whenever there is flood in the area, because the clients/customers cannot make it to my shop,” Pateh Marreh, a shop keeper told The Point.
He appealed to the authorities, especially of the Kainfing Municipal Council, to intervene so as to save tax payers from the floods.
“I have been running my business here for almost two years now, but I have never experienced such,” he said.
Victim upon victim who spoke to this reporter appealed to the government through the Kanifing Municipal Council and the National Disaster Management Agency, philanthropists, NGOs and well-to-do individuals to come to their aid.
