After
8 months of absence, set-settal, which is the national cleansing exercise,
resumed last Saturday 29 July 2017.
For
many, the notice was very short; it was only by SMS or text message sent out by
the National Environment Agency (NEA) to notify people about the exercise hence
majority of the people in the country did not get the message and were
therefore not aware of the resumption of the exercise.
Moreover,
even where some people could receive the short notice, the majority who are
illiterate could not comprehend the message as they could not read it to be
able to act on it.
Usually
and prior to this unexpected announcement people were informed through GRTS in
English and in all the local languages three days before the actual day.
Furthermore
there was no specific information in the SMS sent out by the NEA as to what
time to start the cleansing exercise and what time to end it, leading to
erratic rush in the morning while traffic was also closed, which affected the
smooth operations of commercial business as well as personal transactions.
It
is essential to note that any time such an important undertaking is to be
carried out by the public, people should be well informed through GRTS and
other mediums.
There
is no doubt that set-settal is good for our heath. It can however be carried
out in such a way that it won’t hinder the smooth flow of vehicles and
businesses.
Currently,
there is no country in the sub-region that is closing traffic for set-settal.
The Gambia is a model of trade and our neighbours are travelling to the country,
especially on weekends, to buy essential goods for trade and personal use
further afield.
Closing
the traffic is not ideal; it will hamper our businesses including banks, and
this will also affect our re-export trade.
We
can do the monthly set-settal and impose sanctions on yard owners who
repeatedly fail to clean their environs. The sanction or penalty should be
appropriately administered after defaulters have first been warned adequately.
Where such warnings are not heeded then fines or other penalties can be
imposed. But people should not be forced to be indoors.
Having
said this, it is vital to note that we are in a new Gambia, and we should
endeavour to keep our country spic and span, as we promote cleanliness and
avoid dumping rubbish in our environments.
The
municipalities should have more vehicles and more labourers to collect garbage
in time and deposit them in the areas earmarked for that.
Government
should bear in mind that some students are going to classes on Saturdays,
patients need to go to hospitals, and that banks and pharmacies should be
opened, as they are highly needed.
We
are therefore appealing to the National Environment Agency to revisit the
national cleansing services in the interest of all of us; that is, meaning
during the set-settal business can be carried out and vehicles or the traffic
can be allowed to flow.
Meanwhile,
we commend CDS Lt General Masaneh Kinteh and the gallant men and women of all
security forces who came out in large numbers to clean most of the areas in the
city centres such as Banjul and KMC.
“We
should maintain the new Gambia in a pristine condition on a new model of
set-settal.”
The
Point
