By: Foday Manneh
Several communities have been affected by heavy rainfall that occurred on Wednesday morning, August 3, 2022, in Basse, Upper River Region. As a result, several families are homeless, and homes and valuables are damaged. Also, a clinic in Sabi was affected following the downpour.
The heavy rainfall, which caused the flooding started around 6:00 a.m, thereby causing havoc and destruction to many communities and homes in Basse. The worst-affected communities are Kaba-Kama, Giraba, Bassending, Samba Tacko, and Sabi, all within the Upper River Region.
Reacting to the flooding in Sabi Clinic, Musa Sillah, the VDC Chairman, said: “This problem started three years ago. Every time there is heavy rain, the flood falls down the clinic’s fence, and the water gets in, which affects us badly.”
“This year, the water goes into the clinic through the OPD to the staff quarters and the mosque. It destroyed a lot of properties and goods such as computers, drugs, clothes, and documents. The last time it happened, the Officer in Charge of the Clinic lost his car in the waters due to the floods. It always affects the clinic,” he explained the impacts of the flooding.
Musa added that they had dug two extensive drainage systems in the village’s backyard (Sabi). It turns back to the town if they are complete, affecting the entire community, including the clinic.
While the cause of the flood saddened him, Sillah said if the government did not consider their problem, the hospital and the community would continue to experience such catastrophic floods during the rainy season.
Musa Baldeh, a native of the Samba Tacko says they have approached several regional authorities, such as the National Road Authority, concerning their problems, but all efforts prove unsuccessful. He called on the government to come to their aid at these devasting moments.
“Most of the compounds here were not spared by the floods. It destroys our houses, and food items perish and kill our animals. I was lucky that my goats and sheep were evacuated from the compound, but others were devastated to see their animals dying in the water,” Musa Baldeh recounted their ordeal.
He lamented, “We are disturbed by the design of the new highway. The highway is put above the compounds’ level and has no drainage system. For the last three years, we have faced the same thing during the rainy season. There is no passage for the water to go out of the compounds.”
“We have to blame the NRA for not listening to us. We engaged them several times, but it always proved fruitless. This is how we are living now,” he added.
The Governor of URR and the Basse Area Council officials pay a solidarity visit to the victims.
In addition, the local authorities are making efforts with the security officials to pump out waters from the affected communities by using a generator.
In some other communities, families are left struggling and thinking about how to recover from the catastrophic heavy flooding.
However, similar stories are typical yearly in several communities due to numerous factors, especially in the rainy season.
