Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio at the Town Hall Meeting held on Tuesday 23rd July 2024, at Bintumani International Conference Center disclosed that his government is going to demolish all buildings above the Green Belt on the mountain of Freetown Peninsular.

“Any house constructed in the Green Belt will be demolish no matter your status in Sierra Leone.”

The president statement on his government decision is because of the accelerated deforestation which is causing loss of forest in the water catchment area, and could deny the people of Freetown water to drink; and is responsible for the ongoing flooding in Freetown.

President Bio expressed condolences to the bereaved families of those who died during the heavy down pour of rains, adding that the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) is undertaking an assessment to see what will be the intervention of government to affected persons.

In September 2023, President Bio received the report, with recommendations, from the committee that was commissioned in 2022 a mandated to investigate the extent, causes and implications of encroachment into the Western Area Peninsula National Park, WAPNP.

Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, told President Bio that members of the committe were in his office to submit their report, adding that they discovered that there were lots of human encroachment on the forest reserve area around Guma Valley Dam.

He said the Greenbelt was first established in 1916 and was reviewed in 2013 but human activities had encroached the reserve and subsequently posed a serious threat to human existence.

Presenting the report, Dr. Isata Mahoi, who was co-chair of the committee, said in April 2022, when a fire outbreak occurred within the Mile 13 Guma catchment area, it resulted in huge loss of forest cover within the WAPNP, which is closer to the Guma Dam and treatment facility.

“Subsequently, President Bio visited the site see firsthand the extent of damage within a designated protected forest/greenbelt area close to the Guma facilities. One of the outcomes of the President’s visit was to set up an investigation committee,” she explained.

She informed the President that although the investigation committee’s report was submitted to the Inter-Ministerial committee, which led to the deployment of security personnel at different locations within the greenbelt area, the rate of deforestation and wild bushfires increased exponentially, posing threat to the Guma dam and human existence.

“The greenbelt covers an area of 18,337 hectares and 24% of the greenbelt area, between Mile 13 and Tokeh, has-been encroached. From the study conducted, over 900 structures were found within the greenbelt along Mile 13 to Tokeh village,” she disclosed.