The villagers of Garawol Kuta in the Kantora District of the Upper River Region (URR) feel the government has neglected the concerns of border villages in their part of the country.
They spoke to TAT and complained of a lack of potable water, good access roads, a health center, and a market in their community.
They described their current situation and other regional border villages as “a nightmare.”
They say the lack of essential social services “causes untold suffering” to the villagers.
“Our current situation is very pathetic as the village completely lacks drinkable water, forcing many residents to travel six kilometers to Manda in Senegal to fetch water for their families.
“The cost of transporting water from Senegal to Gambia with a donkey or horse carts, among other means, is huge, and many villagers cannot afford that,” said Bafily Trawally, the Alkali of the village.
He added that the well at the primary school broke down, and they now have to depend on the abandoned 50-meters deep old well located on the outskirts of the village or travel to Senegal for water for domestic use.
Fatoumatta Dambele, a women’s leader in the community, said the lack of good water, access roads, and a health center is their problem and described the situation as “unbearable” to the women.
She added that the villagers have spoken to the local, regional, and central government authorities, who are yet to address the problems.
“We are calling on the government to help fix our broken-down well at the school. Access to good roads and health facilities remains a big challenge for village women.
“To visit the hospital in Basse, villagers have to go through Vellingara in Senegal to reach Basse,” Isatou Sowe, a lactating woman, told TAT.
