Huge piles of filth taking the shapes of hills are littered on major streets in Freetown. Bai Bureh Road at the east end, the longest street is a notorious flashpoint.
These piles of filth were first seen on the street of Bai Bureh Road precisely, Brima Lane and Congo Water, New Road since the last Saturday normally observed across the country as country-wide cleaning exercise. The odour in the air, which emanates from the filth, has become a constant source of embarrassment for commuters during their daily trips to central Freetown. Among these commuters are public and private sector workers as well as those in the non-formal sector, the petty traders, hawkers and shop owners who embark on various commercial activities to fend for themselves.
The bus stop at Congo Water is very busy, every morning, especially during ‘rush hour’.
People from diverse spheres or life converge there every morning to wait and catch vehicles. An unpainted structure is erected there to house these commuters who may seek comfort from the hot rays of the sun or torrential downpour.
Adjacent to this makeshift structure, the highest pile of filth was located there. It is usual that during national cleaning days, residents from various houses deposit filth from households to this designated spot. The spot became nauseating as vehicles fail to show up that day to cart the dirt away.
Both land and air pollution wore on as commuters who cannot withstand the lingering ordour cover their noses with their fingers. Commuters and passersby were among at the poor sanitary condition. Most uttered uncomplimentary statements against those who create the condition for filth.
A lot of strategies for eradicating filth from the city have been devised and implemented. Initially, some results could be seen on the ground, but later diminished as time flies. MASADA is company that was constructed to rid the city of filth. It has been in existence for several years recording positive result initially.
However, the sanitary condition in the city is nothing to write home about though the company has put its shoulder to the wheel to produce great result.
Fortunately, a ray of hope was mustered in people’s minds following the declaration of the National Cleaning day by government. People were hopeful as they reflect on the old days of the National Provincial Ruling Council (NPRC) when nobody was spared in the cleaning exercise. The result recorded that time is not a match to these days.
One may argue that the different political systems were responsible for the variation of achievement. Again, others have attributed the success differential to the levels of population. During the NPRC days, population was at an optimum in Freetown. Today, the population is at a maximum almost to the point of ‘population explosion’.
A LOOK AT THE RESIDENTS’ ATTITUDINAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DISPOSITION WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF HYGIENE
The city’s residents fear and worry is in place especially if one looks back at recent occurrences. However, this article pinpoints that the people fear what they have created. The streets and ditches are full of filth as a result of the activities of the people themselves. It is usual to see passengers eat fruits in the vehicles and throw the remnants in the streets without consideration of other road users. Similarly, others get drinks and throw the empty containers either on the streets or in the ditches at night. What about the other residents who surreptitiously deposit faeces in the ditches at night? This poor sanitary attitude behavior has a cumulative effect or making the city an ‘eyesore’.
One of the oldest residents at Congo Water, Isatu Fornah, has constantly expressed her deep frustrations over the filthy condition in the city. Since Isatu hails from the provinces, she almost always compares the sanitary condition in the provinces as well as that in Freetown.
“We enjoy smooth and fresh air up country than we do in Freetown. Toilets and filthy ditches are close to people’s bedrooms in Freetown than in the provinces. If I have money at this moment, I will not hesitate to return to the provinces where sanitation is taken care of,” Isatu Fornah makes a clean breast of the situation.
Coming back to the just cleared filth at the Congo Water bus stop, one of the commuters, a lady, said she nearly vomited any time she comes to the spot to wait for a vehicle. The commuter told the nightwatch, in an exclusive interview, that if the situation is allowed to continue, the city sits on a time bomb. She draws a nexus between poor sanitation and flooding.
The commuter made several references to the deadly flooding that have taken place in Freetown. She said that is enough for the people and the government to take the issue of sanitation very seriously.
“Almost all the floods that have occurred have bearing on poor sanitation. The filth deposited in gutters at night by residents worsens the sanitary problem,” she explains.
ARE THE STRUCTURES FOR HYGIENE CREATED?
The question contained in the subtopic has generated heated arguments or debates in various circles. Most residents interviewed say the government is assiduously doing its own part to ensure a serene and hygienic environment. Others say government has done little. Whatever the contractions in these arguments or debates, one thing underpins them – tenacity in law enforcement without fear or favour, selective justice and protectionism. It is the preponderant view of academics that any law that is not enforced is a ‘dead letter,’ meaning it is null and void and of no effect. The efficacy of any law lies in its enforcement.
Law enforcement begins right at the lowest unit or strata of society. It must start from homes, mosques, churches, ‘ataya’ bases, and ‘poyo’ bars, to name but a few.
In times past, sanitary inspectors visit every community to detect filthy homes, kitchens, toilets and other house facilities. Addresses of defaulting houses were written and fines imposed on owners. This action by government produced deterrent effect on would-be offenders. This does not mean that government takes in charge of sanitation but in charge of sanitation.
Besides the sanitary inspectors’ phenomena, sanitary baskets must be located along the streets for depositing filth. Those baskets or trash bins must be thoroughly monitored to ensure compliance. The law must come down heavily on non-conformists or deviants. In this direction, the relevant law, the Public Health Ordinance 1960 must be invoked to checkmate people’s unsanitary behavior.
The state can have all the brilliant ideas, all the equipment, all the financial resources in the name of municipality sanitation, but achievements would be difficult to realize if not aligned with a solid framework of tenacious legal enforcement.