Residents of Old Wharf community in Wellington, east of the city, have strongly complained about the poor sanitation facility in their locality, a situation they have been grappling with for some time

Many of the people interviewed by Concord Times said the authorities concerned, especially the Freetown City Council (FCC), have been reluctant to address their plight. They also noted that safe drinking water is another serious concern for them as there are no taps to access potable water.

Community Chief, Pa Alimamy Conteh, explained that the present condition in which his people are living is not good for any human being.

"Our toilet facilities are not in good shape. We don't have taps to fetch clean and safe drinking water. We have on several occasions made our concerns known to those responsible but nothing seems to be working for us. We are appealing to the FCC to provide us with proper toilet and tap facilities," he stated.

Pa Conteh maintained that their children are suffering as a result of these problems and added that some of them had to spend hours in order to get unclean water from the stream.

"We are going through a lot and our children are suffering. We drink water from the stream. I am doing what I could to ensure that my people live in a conducive environment," he added.

Isatu Conteh, who resides in the community, stated that they have been lagging behind in terms of development for a long time and that elected officials have done little to address their concerns.

"Our children are suffering from sicknesses due to lack of a healthy environment to live. I am urging those that will be elected to govern us after Saturday polls to listen to our cry and improve our sanitation and water problems," she urged.