By Fatou Dahaba
In its bid to keep the urban areas of the west coast region clean by controlling waste, the Brikama Area Council (BAC) launched a project dubbed the ‘Seneya Project’ on Tuesday, 18th July 2023, at the Brikama Area Council premises.
The ‘Seneya Project’ is meant to provide sustainable solutions to one of the most prolonged problems and challenges of waste management service facing the people of the West Coast Region.
The Council partnered with five private companies (Jatta & Sons Waste Management Company, SetalGam Waste Management, Krocon Waste Management, Dankuto Waste Management, and BMM Waste Management) to help them curb waste management within the region.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Yankuba Darboe, Chairman of BAC, said the West Coast Region is the biggest and the most populous in the Gambia; as such, it is also the most waste-producing region of the Gambia.
According to him, until today, the region continues to struggle for effective, sustainable solutions to the issue of waste management in the region.
He stressed that waste management is often one of the most complained about challenges of the region’s residents.
“Our people have been left to manage their waste on their own. This situation has compelled many residents to dump waste in any available space convenient to them, which greatly threatens our environment. Whiles, those who thrive on having their waste collected regularly, do so at a huge financial cost,” he revealed.
Chairman Darboe outlined that, with the birth of the ‘SENEYA PROJECT,’ such disregard for the environment will be a thing of the past.
“We want it to be the business of everyone who resides in this region to ensure that we have a clean environment and that people do not dump waste anywhere convenient to them in the cover of darkness or broad daylight, without any regard for the risks and dangers to our environment.”
He highlighted that the Council would ensure it maximizes awareness about the availability of waste collection services in the piloted areas and educate people about the dangers of illegal dumping to the environment.
According to the Chairman, the first phase of the project will cover Kombo North District, which includes Old Yundum, Sanementereng, and Busumbala, and one of the biggest constituencies in the West Coast Region that comprises Farato Village and Brikama Town.
On his part, BAC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Modou Jonga, thanked the private waste collectors for accepting to be part of the project to ensure a clean and healthy WCR.
The CEO remarked that the project is part of the Council’s 2022-2024 strategic planning of waste collection.
“This initiative, which is set to be piloted within Kombo North District and Farato in Kombo Central, is in line with our strategic planning from 2022 to 2024 for waste collection management and Sanitation. This strategic period is set to improve waste collection in the short and long term, which is to eradicate indiscriminate dumping in the community”, Jonga stated.
Ismaila Jallow, the Vice Chairman of BAC, said that the project will strengthen public and private partnerships between the Council and its partners for waste collection and disposal within WCR.
The representative of the West Coast Region Governor, Ida Saine, thanked the Chairman and his partners for the initiative, saying if everyone takes responsibility, waste management will become a thing of the past for WCR.
