This is a recurring challenge as annual rain fall continues to disrupt the lives of its residents, pedestrians and drivers.
With each passing year, the coming of the rainy season brings with it rising waters that inundate homes, block roads, and disrupt essential services, leaving residents to grapple with the aftermath of nature's fury.
Speaking to The Point, Babucarr Jobe, a commercial driver, described the situation as an ongoing problem year after year with no ultimate remedy. “Every year when rain falls, Churchill Town is always a no go area. You can be in traffic for hours without getting half way to your destination. And as a commercial driver this automatically means no enough income for that day,” he lamented.
“There is urgent need for the government to address this problem because it has been going on for a while. The gutters need to be expanded to allow easy flow of water which can ease transportation,” he added.
Serign Njie, also a commercial driver, said: “Churchill Town has always been a problem when it comes to traffic even without rain. The rain just makes it worst. The sides are too narrow and the town seems too congested; too many movements around.”
“The authorities have neglected this issue for long and it’s going to get worst each year. Little rain fall cause traffic on this road much more a heavy downpour. They should really address this before it’s too late,” he said.
Manding Leigh, a resident of Churchill’s Town, said: “It is always a nightmare if rain finds me outside because I know what awaits me. My home doesn’t get flooded but the challenge is; before getting to your house, you must first face the challenge of getting a vehicle. And when you finally get a vehicle, it barely moves.”
“We really need a solution to this problem. It is even not safe especially for pedestrians, because there are gutters that are not closed and others flipped and if you step on them that can really be dangerous.”
Isatou Camara, a pedestrian, who lives in Ebo Town, recalled that Tuesday’s rain started when she was at the Serrekund Market shopping for groceries. “I was almost done before the rain starts and I didn’t want to wait anywhere because I had no idea when it would stop.”
“The flood at Churchill Town was above my knee and it was so difficult to balance myself but I tried. This has always been the case for this town whenever it rains. So if it is heavy, it is always a bigger problem. We really need help with this issue to ease transportation for everyone. It is evident that expanding the drainage is not optional, but in fact it should be mandatory.”
