By Alie Turay
A huge pile of Garbage in the area opposite the Aberdeen Road Market on Sir Samuel Lewis Road, in the west of Freetown is causing persistent traffic blocks on that vital road much to the inconvenience of drivers and inhabitants of the area.
The Aberdeen Road links the rest of central and eastern Freetown with the famous Lumley Beach and main entertainment centres and hotels. It is also the main thoroughfare of Diplomats and expatriate workers to and from their homes and places of work. This huge garbage has been on Aberdeen Road for over a month now.
This unhealthy situation is caused by the removal of the dump site along the road from its original site. Because residents and traders at the Aberdeen Road Market are in dire need of a dump site, they have chosen to use the road instead. The oldest Senior Secondary School in the country, the Sierra Leone Grammar School has not been spared in this search for dump site as the school compound is receiving half of the waste generated in that community.
Many residents within and around the Aberdeen Road are now jittery to buy food items at the market for fear of catching cholera.
A trader, Ramatu Sesay explained that they were never used to dumping garbage on the road, but because the dustbin was removed some three months ago, they have no alternative but to use the road and the school compound as dump sites.
She said they have resorted to using the road opposite the market because of the distance to the Grammar School compound where is they have turned into the community’s dump site.
“This is principally because we want to draw the attention of authorities to our dire need for a dustbin or a dump site. We know that what we are doing is wrong, but we have to do it so that the attention of those supposed to act will be drawn to our plight,” Ramatu stated.
A resident of Aberdeen Road, Fatmata Kanu, said buying food items from the Aberdeen Road market is becoming increasingly risky with the continued being of the garbage directly opposite the market.
“Buying food items from the Aberdeen Road market is very dangerous now. Flies and rodents, mostly rats, have overtaken the whole area including the market. There is an imminence of contagious diseases in that community now, and with the rains, I fear for an outbreak of cholera,” Madam Fatmata said.
A commercial driver (Poda-poda driver), Abdul Kamara said the garbage heap is causing serious traffic congestion on the road, and this situation is affecting their tours.
“We would spend long times in traffic to and from Aberdeen and this is affecting our daily turnovers,” Abdul lamented.
There has been so much cry over the unhealthy condition of the Aberdeen Road viz-a-viz the market and the foodstuffs sold there. If the authorities are really concerned about curtailing the outbreak of cholera, the Aberdeen Road condition should be addressed with the immediacy it deserves.