Residents of Kanikay, a community in the east of Freetown, have told Premier News on Monday August 30, 2020, that they fear that they could be killed in floods which are usual occurrence in the community whenever it rains.
According to Alusine Trawalie, an elder in the community, when it rains water usually goes into their houses and destroy their property.
“Sometimes flooding takes place when some of us have gone to our various working places. We are afraid of having the same thing here. Our lives are at risk presently in this community. We all see what happened at Leicester community and other areas. We are appealing to the government and other NGOs to send assistance for us,” he pleaded.
He informed this medium that in a recent incident in the community, five houses had been inundated in the community killing some people, severely injuring others and destroying property.
“We are here because there is no other option for us, but we are really in critical condition at this wharf. Government never remembers us, no supply or anything,” he said.
The recent incident left Fatmata Kamara who resides in the community with only one clothe. “I have only one cloth left with me here. When our house collapsed, I was not able to salvage anything from the ruins. Sometimes when it rains here, most especially at night, we don’t sleep in our houses; we sleep in an open field till morning,” she said.
She claimed that they had not been considered by past governments as other communities do get supplies, but they had not been considered in anyways.
She called on the government to facilitate the widening of the drainages or relocate them to another area.
She said that the community had no source of pure drinking water and also no proper toilet facility.
04/09/2020. ISSUE NO: 7902