Gambia: Sand Mining At Denton Bridge Affects 5000 Mangroves

11 August 2022

The coordinator of the West African Birds Study Association (WABSA), has raised eyebrows about the ongoing sand mining activity around Denton Bridge, saying the activity has affected almost 5000 mangroves trees and 4000 coconut trees that were planted along the Banjul beach last summer by community members of Ndangan and Hamza Barracks.

Annette Camara, who doubles as communication officer was speaking in a recent interview with this medium.

She also attributed that the illegal cutting of thousands of mangroves by contractors is having a devastating impact on the environment, as most of the mangroves are used to construct fences.

She also spoke about the poor condition of the only sewage treatment in Banjul.

She acknowledged that the city of Banjul is below sea-level and thus poses serious threats to the residents, who always suffered from inundation due to poor drainage system, poor physical planning and deforestation.

"Cutting the mangroves for ports extension, sand mining amongst others without priority for standard drainage system, negligence towards the pumping station also contributed a lot."

These activities, she observed, has given rise to windstorm, while flooding is becoming a regular occurrence triggered by human activities and attitudes toward natural settings.

The current floods, she added, should be a reminder that climate change is real and the environment should be protected at all cost.

"We are facing a climate crisis, our authorities need to introduce a climate-resilient mechanism to protect our communities." she said.

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