The Wellingara Market has become a stinky area due to the large amount of waste thrown around by vendors and local residents which harms the health and endangers the lives of students and staff of Wellingara Lower Basic School.
According to residents, the issue is linked to the poor waste management service provided by the Brikama Area Council (BAC), leading to some bad smell that affects students and teachers at the nearby Wellingara School.
Speaking to Senigambia newspaper, Yama Ndure, the head teacher of Wellingara Lower Basic School, expressed her concern about the unhealthy air that students and staff have to inhale week in week out.
She says the situation gets worse during the rainy season when the smell becomes even more unbearable, making it hard to breathe in and around the school.
“The bad odour is harmful, especially for our school children. It makes me very unhappy,” Mrs Ndure complains.
Moreover, she says, there are times when they have to close the windows of their offices to avoid the polluted air from entering freely.
This situation is caused by some local residents, who have been using the school environs as a dumpsite, which she says is unacceptable.
“During the rainy season, people often dump trash by our school fence. We always end up having to clean it ourselves, which takes time away from our other responsibilities,” she explained.
Mrs Ndure calls on the Brikama Area Council to send waste collection trucks to the market frequently, preferably every day, and urges community members to dispose of their waste properly to maintain a safe environment for everyone.
When SeniGambia put this matter across to the Wellingara market committee, a member of the committee, Alagie Secka, acknowledged that the council’s lack of regular waste collection has been a major challenge.
“Waste collection trucks from the Brikama Area Council don’t come daily or even weekly,” Mr Secka alleged, saying “Sometimes it takes over a month for a truck to arrive.
“We struggle a lot when the council’s trucks are not available, resulting in us going for private waste collection services, which are used as temporary measures, but can’t be sustained due to its cost.”
In the same vein, Lamin Singhateh, the communication officer for Brikama Area Council, admitted that they are facing challenges due to inadequate waste collection trucks.
“We don’t have the resources to manage all the waste issues in the region,” Mr Singhateh admits, saying: “While we have ordered more trucks, they are yet to be delivered.”
He assured that the council would try to address the issue regarding waste management in the region.
However, Sambou Mbye, an expert in Environmental and Occupational Health, emphasises the dangers of unhealthy environment also leading to air pollution.
Such a situation can cause various health issues, he said, stressing the need to keep the surroundings clean. He also calls on the government to take action to protect the environment.
He as well veered unto plastic waste harming the environment and living things, a lot of such waste are generated from market centres or spots.
A recent study on plastic waste in The Gambia found that around 23,000 tonnes of plastic waste was produced in 2021, with predictions showing a 42% increase in the coming years.
