Malik Koroma, the supervisor at a garbage dumpsite at Kissy in the East-end of Freetown, has told Premier News on Thursday April 4, 2020, that the laborers at the site have no medical attention, and tools to do their work which has slowed down their operations and negatively affected their health.
Koroma said that the lack of tools causes garbage to accumulate in the street and impede the movement of vehicles. He revealed that the kissy dumpsite is one of the biggest and oldest in the country but due to the increase in population, garbage overfilled the site.
He said that the garbage has mounted to such an extent that has made it necessary for machines to clear the area. “One of my men suffered injury on his eye when he was manually clearing at the dumpsite.” He pleaded for machines to be used to reduce their frustration.
He added that, they get assistance from humanitarian organizations, NGOs and over 300 scavengers who come to collect materials that could be recycled from the site. He added that there are only 13 laborers assigned to take care of the dumpsite.
“We are calling on the central government to consider us at the Bomeh; we are working in the interest of the nation and we are sierra Leoneans as well.” He added that the government conducts public education exercises to travel to the villages across the country on sensitizations and give donations but no consideration has been given to us in terms of public education and sensitization on the deadly coronavirus,” he said.
He complained that they face constant risk of being infected with the coronavirus, adding that they usually encounter diseases at the bomeh during the rainy and dry seasons. He said that when afflicted they take care of themselves.
He recommended for government to fence off the dumpsite, and blamed encroachment into land originally designated to the dumpsite by the community people as a reason why garbage fill the street and causing accident in the community.
By Ibrahim S. Bangura
9/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7841