By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Inferno devoured twenty-nine heaps of rice grains in the village of Nuimi Jurunku, North Bank Region (NBR), on Monday, 8th January 2024.
Authoritative sources have confirmed the unfortunate fire incident to TAT that affected over forty-five women farmers who virtually lost all their seasonal harvest to the inferno, attributing the cause to the fire particles discharged from the exhaust pipe of a rice trading machine used by the women in the rice field.
“It’s a regrettable incident that occurred around 3-4 pm on Monday. It has affected over forty-five female farmers who lost all their harvest due to the fire outbreak. We (Regional Authorities) went to the rice fields to see for ourselves the level of the damage; it’s a huge loss to the farmers and the whole community,” said Chief of Upper Nuimi, Mamadou Chatty Cham.
He added: “All relevant authorities of the Government in the region, including the Governor, are all aware of the development and have shown their commitment to help the affected farmers. The Technical Assessment Committee (TAC) members have already visited the fire scene and assessed the situation. Still, I can tell you the situation is very pathetic, knowing how difficult it is for these farmers to bear the loss of an entire harvest.”
He also confirmed that the fire that ravaged the rice fields started from the exhaust pipe of the threshing machine used by the women farmers to thresh their harvested rice grains, adding that the entire community of Jurunku is mourning such a colossal loss to the inferno as all those affected entirely depends on their produces for survival and other family needs.
TAT also spoke with one Lamin Jawara, a Community Development official, and one Lamin Saidy, an official of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA); both confirmed the incident, hinting that a preliminary assessment has uncovered the destruction of over 13.5 acres of rice fields have been engulfed by fire outbreak, affirming that the regional authorities comprising TAC members have visited the rice fields to make detail data collection on the incident.
They called on all well-wishers and donors for urgent intervention in offering the proper assistance to all the victims of the fire outbreak that left a big scar in the hearts of the people of Jurunku while assuring the Government’s unwavering support to the affected families.
