The Minister of Local Government, Tamba Lamina in a town hall meeting organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education called on councils to enforce environmental bye-laws against sand miners in a bid to fight against massive environmental degradation.

The meeting which also hosted the Minister of Environment and Climate Change was held at the Western Rural District Council hall on 3rd September 2024.

Speaking about sand mining, Lamina emphasized that one of the bylaws states that sand should not be mined more than once a week, but many of those sand miners do the opposite. He emphasized the need for bye-laws to be enforced, believing that there is too much sand mining ongoing.

The Deputy Chairman of the Western Area Rural District Council (WARDC), Robert Brown urged the Ministry of Environment to ensure there is proper management of the environment and that the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies protect green belt areas. He said the central government should provide the Western Rural Council with more resources to fight environmental problems within the district.

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The Chairperson of Environment, WARDC, Salamatu Osmatu Koroma explained how they have stopped sand mining at Lakka community and other areas within the district.

Koroma urged the Ministry of Lands to ensure building permits are issued for only areas that are not disaster-prone.

She went on to say they have been planting trees in the district, and called for collaboration with the Ministry of Environment to protect the environment.

In his statement, the Deputy Executive Director, National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), Dwight Sheriff spoke of their super- vision of 15 protected areas across the Western Area and said they have helped in many ways in protecting the ecosystem.

The Western Area National Park he said has become susceptible to too many encroachments, despite the deployment of Forest Rangers to stop deforestation and encroachment.

He claimed that community people are engaged in massive deforestation, adding that their staff have been having standoffs with communities whenever they go out on surveillance of communities to halt encroachment into protected areas.

Sheriff, however, noted that they are currently on a demolition exercise at the Western Area National Park in a quest to protect it, and that demolition will extend to Mile 13 and other encroached protected areas.

He said the Guma Dam that supplies many parts of Freetown with water has been threatened due to massive deforestation.