Banjul could be at serious risk of flooding this year unless……

Africa » Gambia

Banjul is six feet below sea level

The City of Banjul might be threatened if the water pumping station along the Bond Road collapses, says Abubacarr Bah, the National Water and Electricity Company (Nawec) officer in charge of the station.

Bah stressed that the facility needs immediate reconstruction instead of rehabilitation, saying Banjul could be at even greater risk if serious flooding strikes from the sea, which can even compel the inhabitants to vacate.

 The pumping station serves as a taming point of water that flows into Banjul. The facility is currently in a dilapidated condition, and was last renovated in 1994  but Mr. Bah said this needed to be addressed immediately. The pumping station helps to pump water out of the city during sea rise.

 It could be recalled that the pumping station was installed in the Bond Road area of Banjul 1954 after the 1947 severe Banjul floods the killed so many people.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the pumping station , Mr. Bah emphasized that  there is need for a greater concentration on the pumping station for a reconstruction, observing that if it is not rehabilitated it can last for only couples of months..

The disaster management coordinator for Banjul, Hudul Colley said they are currently negotiating with the Japanese Embassy in Dakar for their assistance to rehabilitate the facility.

Wilson Syngle, the deputy mayor of BCC told the delegates that the Council is trying its best to address disaster issues within Banjul.

 He cited the high-level rise of the river, poor drainage systems and uncovered drainage as some of the factors posing problems to them.

 He also listed the main canal in Tobacco Road and the Bond Road pumping stations as other challenges. Syngle used the platform to thank the NEMA delegates for visiting the Council and reiterated the need for a greater collaboration between them and the NDMA to address disasters whenever they strike.

By Dawda Bayo