By Septimus Senessie in Kono.
A heavy down pour in Koidu on Tuesday lasting about 45 minutes left parts of the town submerged under water as property worth millions of Leones perished at the Gbense Market and its surroundings.
A petty trader, Aminata Momoh told Politico at the flooded market that she had lost almost all her merchandise worth million of Leones. Describing the situation as catastrophic, Aminata said about 95% of their business capital came from bank loans.
The chairman of the Kono District Traders' Union, William David Sesay said the flooding had caused so much destruction and loss to hundreds of traders at the market. He blamed the Koidu City Council for not doing enough to properly manage the drainage systems at the market ahead of the rainy season despite their "payment of market dues to the council for the maintenance of the market."
Sesay alleged that the council was negligent in the cleaning of trashes at the market, which he said could have blocked the drainages. He however encouraged his colleague traders to exercise restraint while they engage the council "constructively" on the matter.
At an emergency press conference held by the Koidu City Council to update journalists on the flooding, Mayor Saa Emerson Lamina consoled the traders for the loss. He said the flood could be connected to three factors which he listed as “the negative attitude of traders in handling trash at the market, the on-going city road works which led to the blocking of some major drainages in the city and the natural factors.”
He said that the flooding had come as a “real shock because it used to occur around August and September.” He told the traders that efforts were underway to put a permanent stop to the regular flooding at the market.
Meanwhile, the chairman of works at the Council, Councillor Kai Lawrence Abayo blamed the floods on OCTEA mining company. He alleged that some two months ago, the diamond miner had apparently banked the Gbessan River at the Bakundu area with their waste materials, which he said almost flooded the whole Bakundu community two weeks ago. He said that the Gbessan River was the major water way from the city since time immemorial.
Councillor Abayo said he had asked OCTEA to open the water way but that his requests had fallen on deaf ears.
The Head of OCTEA’s Community Development Office, Henry Vagg described the allegations of the councillor against his company as “inciting, malicious and fabricated.” He told Politico that the River Bank of Gbessan was far from where they dumped their waste materials.
He acknowledged that flooding did take place at Bakundu community some two weeks ago but noted that the community was within their concession area and that almost all of the residents in the community had been relocated to a new settlement provided for them.
Vagg said they were always conscious of environmental protection agreement they signed with the government of Sierra Leone to protect people against disasters.
(C) Politico 01/05/14
