with Madiba Sinhateh
Welcome to another edition of the Environment Column and in this edition, we will profile and comment on the unprecedented devastating floods of 30th and 31st July 2022, which directly affected over 40,000 people according to reports from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), rendering them homeless. We will also bring excerpts of an interview we had with the NAM for Serekunda and Councilor for London Corner Ward.
Since the July flash floods hit the country, many people questioned whether seasonal floods and inundation has become the new phenomenon for the Gambia.
Some people even express fear when the sky begins to darken, because they have nowhere to lay their heads.
According to Officials of the Meteorology Department, this year's seasonal rains brought the heaviest downpour that the country has ever recorded in more than thirty years.
In the same development, the National Disaster Management Agency indicated in their Situation Report that 40,501 people have been affected from the July 30 th /31st heavy rainfall. That out of this number of affected people 8,436 are children whilst 2,609 are pregnant and lactating women.
According to the NDMAs Situation Report, "hundreds of thousands of people in the Gambia are negatively impacted by the recent floods."
The report further indicated that a GIS specialist will be mapping out the affected areas and register the impact of the floods on the population.
However, the report said ongoing registration has identified 40, 501 people who have been directly affected by the recent heavy downpours, with the suburbs of urban settlements being the hardest hit by the recent floods. The report said eleven people loss their lives, and that children under five years of age, account for 22% of the affected population, while females account for 51%. The report further indicated that 2,446 pregnant and lactating women were recorded among the flood victims, together with 1,756 persons with disabilities.
Another situation report on the recent floods was the Sitrep Report.
According to Sitrep, the cause of the unprecedented flood disaster can be linked to the unfriendly environmental activities such as the indescriminate and irregular dumping of all type of waste, together with the building of houses and dwelling places on waterways.
"In many of the affected communities, it is realized that the outlets for sewage and water was blocked as a result of the indiscriminate disposal of waste in gutters.
"Furthermore, many houses have been built on waterways thereby affecting the free and uninterrupted flow of water, towards the sea or other water catchment bodies. Unfortunately, during such heavy rains, many households dispose of their waste in the running flood waters thereby causing the blockage of all the canals meant for water evacuation, because many of the affected areas in these communities live along swampy areas or water ways," the Sitrep report states.
The report further commented on Governments immediate response to the flood disaster, siting the Vice presidents and Cabinet Minister visiting flood victims in Banjul, where tens of people were affected, together with the destruction of their valuable personal and household properties, whilst in some parts of the country, lives were lost.
"The July 30th and 31st flash floods were the worst that have hit the Gambia in nearly half a century. The torrential rain associated with thunderstorms resulted to flash flooding which affected the entire country" the Sitrep report concludes.
In Banjul, the citys $40 million road expansion project came under strong and heavy criticism when homes in the capital became flooded, and many raised questions concerning the inefficiency of such a project in water evacuation.
According to the Sitrep report, Banjul is below seas level and is very prone to such climate disasters like floods. The report further gave examples that when it is high tide, water from the seas flows in some compounds.
In Banjul, Vice President Alieu Badara Joof promised relocation for some of the victims affected.
President Adama Barrow also visited the flood victims and promised that an $80 million dollar canal project is in the pipeline in the nearest future, that will curb such situations for good.
In the Kanifing Municipality, this Columnist spoke to Musa Cham, the NAM for Serekunda. According to Cham, he has recently been in contact with the responsible authorities in order for them to come and do a survey as to what is the main cause of the flooding in his area which has been going on for so many years now.
"It is not something that is unknown to the Government and therefore, it is about time and for any responsible Government to come on the ground and do a survey in order to provide a lasting solution for t