By Oumie Mendy
Residents of Kotu have expressed anger and disappointment over the Kanifing Municipal Council’s lackadaisical approach towards the settlement’s dumpsite that caught fire Tuesday.
According to the residents, it is not clear how the fire started but it lasted hours before it was put off by the residents who expressed disappointment over dumping of car tires in the area.
Edrissa Barry, a resident whose compound is a few meters from the dump site, said Tuesday’s fire is not the first and whenever there is an outbreak, the KMC would be notified but would not act.
“We have reported the issue to them several times but they have not done anything about it. We have appealed to them to stop dumping tires at the dumpsite because it always attracts people looking for scraps who resort to burning the waste which causes fire. Whenever it happens, it is the residents that suffer,” Mr Barry told The Standard.
According to him, more than ten trucks dump car tires at the site every now and then.
“The smoke coming from there is deadly and can cause health damage. When the fire started, the neighborhood came out to extinguish it but we cannot continue living like this,” he added.
Mariama Saidy, also a resident of Kotu, said tires have been continuously dumped at the dumpsite for the past few months. “Even when there were guards, people still continue dumping there. They were also burying the tires but they later stopped. We have children and sick people among us. My husband is in his sick bed and I am an asthmatic patient and should not be inhaling this smoke,” she said.
The Standard could not reach the appropriate officials for comments on the matter.
