By Septimus Senessie.
Flying stones from the OCTEA diamond mining site last week destroyed nine dwelling houses with property worth millions of Leones. The incident took place around 5 pm after the company had allegedly blasted stones at a place called Pipe-Two to extract gravel. Some of the houses destroyed were beyond the company’s designated 250-meter blast envelop, experts say. Stones landed at the Tankoro Police Division and the Tankoro Native Administrative Court Barray, as well as the Tankoro Old NDMC camp, among other places. A nine-month pregnant woman, Sia Hawa Sam told Politico that she was in her bedroom when one of the rocks landed on their house causing her a heavy shock. “I fell on my stomach and sustained some bruises on my knees. I could feel pain all over my body” she said. Asked why she did not leave her house when the company’s siren was sounded as warning to them of the impending blast, Madam Sam said their house did not fall within OCTEA’s 250-meter blast envelop or concession. “We don’t normally leave our house during the process of blasting; this is the first time that such a thing has happened to us,” she explained in tears. She said the company did not accord her any medical help as a result. Alusine Sheriff, a resident of No. 1 Manjama Street also told Politico that the scale of the blast was heavier than the previous blasting exercises, saying that the roof of his house and his generator were destroyed. He further alleged that the company had since told them that they would replace the damaged corrugated roof but that they would not take responsibility for items damaged inside the house. He said that since OCTEA started operations in the district, the residents had not enjoyed a peaceful stay in their community as their lives were “at stake” by the operations of the company. He said that they were like “refugees in our own native land” adding that they were always asked to leave their dwelling houses to carry out their blasting exercises. Sheriff also alleged that during the cause of the blasting, no provision was made for the aged and physically challenged. He appealed to OCTEA mining company to relocate elsewhere after three years of “unfulfilled promises” to the residents. Sahr Koi, a 25-year-old man living with polio, also accused the company of not caring for them. He said that he and his colleague disabled persons were never provided with mobility to help evacuate them at such times. He went on that the company was always indifferent to them whenever stones had damaged their homes, adding that they were scattered all over the Tankoro old NDMC camp living in fear of flying stones. One of the workers of the company who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity said the blasting was done on the surface of the pit at Pipe-Two and that the stones were so big that the company had to overload the explosives on the rock to help them break it. Spokesman for OCTEA Ltd., Ibrahim Sorie Kamara told Politico that the company had an ambulance with sirens that moved around to notify and evacuate people including the physically-challenged and the aged, adding that it was in the interest of the company to evacuate people before blasting could go on. He said the blasting of stones was a timely event and that the exercise had to go on as scheduled. Kamara acknowledged that a number of blasting exercises had been undertaken that went beyond the envelop areas. He said they were looking into the causes with the view to addressing them. With regards the destruction of homes, Kamara said an assessment team was dispatched to the affected areas to make recommendations for the company to take action. He said the company would address “legitimate claims” but would not take liability for “bogus claims” made by some home owners.
