Minister of the Environment yesterday said his ministry is determined to fully implement Presidential mandate on the protection of the environment adding that all houses constructed within the red and yellow zones must be demolished forthwith.
Professor Foday M. Jaward made the statement after a joint demolition exercise conducted by the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) headed by the Environment Ministry at Motomeh community.
It could be recalled that on the morning hours of August 14, 2017, a significant mudslide occurred at that community following a three-day torrential rainfall, mass wasting of mud and debris which destroyed hundreds of buildings in the city, killing 1,141 people and leaving more than 3,000 homeless.
Causes of the mudslide include the topography and climate of the area – with Freetown’s elevation close to sea level and its greater position within a tropical monsoon climate. Those factors were assisted by the generally poor state of the region’s infrastructure and loss of protective natural drainage systems from periods according to environmentalists.
According to Professor Jaward, a Presidential directive has been given to prevent people from constructing houses within the demarcated areas.
“It is a directive from His Excellency the President that nobody should build house in the red or yellow zones. If you do it we will demolish it, this is a clear message to everybody that if you build a house in those areas we will demolish them,” he said.
He acknowledged that lawlessness is a social problem in the country, but expressed determination to take care of the people of Sierra Leone.
“The demolition today is a warning to everybody, don’t even attempt to construct houses in those areas,” he said, adding that despite being a new ministry, all the affiliates of the Ministry of Environment, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Protected Area Authority, (NPAA) and others have been working assiduously to protect the environment.
“We have a mandate to be carried out. I want to assure Sierra Leoneans that we will do our best to ensure that the right things are done,” he concluded.
By Mohamed Massaquoi
09/07/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7862