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After months of public outcry over the illegal landfill at Pike Street near New England, the Freetown City Council has cleared the rubbish. The move has brought quick relief to residents, but questions remain about how the site will be protected from further dumping.
The Head of Environmental and Sanitation, Marian J Tucker, told Sierraeye the council has faced multiple ownership claims over the land. She said the Multi Kamara family, the Ministry of Lands, and the Female Correctional Centre all claim ownership. She added that the council has asked the parties to meet to settle the issue.
Asked if the Council would secure the site for now, Tucker said the council does not want to infringe on property rights by putting up a fence. She added that the owner will need to protect the property once ownership is settled.
Mariama Sesay, who lives with her grandchildren in a one storey building beside the site, described the smoke and fire outbreaks she faced. She said the rubbish broke her fence and neighbours once rescued her family when smoke filled her home. She called the experience a death threat inside her house.
Sesay welcomed the clearance but warned against complacency. She said if authorities allow the area to become a garbage ground again, the community’s hope for relief will be lost. She added that people die twice, first physically and then when forgotten, which is why she urged authorities to protect the site.
Nearby shop owner Sheku Kamara raised similar concerns. He said the dumpsite damaged the city’s image and deterred investors. He said the area became the new Bomeh in the city. Now that it is cleared, he urged the government to fence the land so people do not take advantage of the open space.
He also reported harassment from individuals he described as Clean Salone boys, who he said dumped waste at the site and threatened residents who challenged them.
A motorbike rider known as Sober Man told Sierraeyesalone the rubbish had pushed onto the road, narrowed it and made walking dangerous.
The site is now cleared, but without a firm plan for ownership and protection, residents fear Pike Street will again become a source of waste and danger.
