A high-level Government team led by the Minister of Water Resources, Patrick K. Lansana and his deputy Nimatulai Bah-Chang and accompanied by colleagues Ministers of the Environment Dr. Edward Jaward, Peter Bayuko Conteh, Minister of Works and Public Assets, Edward Soluku, Minister of Internal Affairs, Deputy Minister of Defense Mauna Brima Massaquoi, and a cross section of management teams of Guma Valley Water Company, National Water Resources Management Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, have on Friday 13th March, 2020, carried out physical assessment of some of the Western Area Water Catchment Areas.
The assessment of the water catchment areas came about as a result of concerns raised by Guma Valley Water Company in January this year with respect to the massive deforestation currently ongoing around the water catchment areas especially the main Dam at Mile 13 which is responsible for over 95% of water supplied to Freetown.
Addressing colleagues Minister and Heads of line agencies at the Take-off point (frontage Miatta Conference Centre), the Minister of Water Resources said when the issue of deforestation of the areas around the Guma Dam at Mile 13 was brought to his attention; he immediately informed the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who in turn set up an inter-ministerial committee to look into the issue. He said Government is determined to tackle the menace posed by the deforestation of the Western Area Peninsular forest and the threat it poses to the sustainability of water supply to the Western Area. The Water Chief however said that, because the Vice President is presently out of the country, the Chief Minister has been tasked by the President to put a team together to do the assessment of the water catchment areas and table a report for his attention.
The Ministerial team first port of call was the White Water catchment at Fourah Bay College Botanical Garden and the Gloucester Saddle catchment sources which were observed to be almost completely deforested. The deforestation of these two sources has left the Fourah Bay College Authorities, who had recently constructed a state of the Art water supply facility under the BADEA project in dilemma as to where to source water supply from as the catchments have all dried up.
The team also visited the proposed Orugu dam catchment point at Motheim on the Grafton-Regent High Way where it was observed that a lot of demolition of houses and resettlement will have take place if the project is going to move forward.
At the Babadorie Reservoir, the team observed that water had stopped flowing into the reservoir as a result of the deforestation around the Mount Sugar Loaf catchment; thereby causing a lot of stress on Guma to make water available to residents of Regent, Leicester, Gloucester, parts of Hill Station, Malama, and Kamayama.
The team final port of visit was the Guma Dam Trail at the Number 2 River Community which was found to be so much deforested that the Guma Dam Crest can now be seen more than 3 kilometers away.
Speaking at the Guma Dam Trail, the Minister of the Environment said the President takes the issue of deforestation very seriously and that is why the ministry was created in the first place. He said he is happy with the support he has been receiving from colleague ministers and that all efforts will be made to protect the Western Area Forest Green Belt and reforests the areas that have been deforested.
Making his own statement, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Edward Soluku said the present state of the environment is an indictment to all Sierra Leoneans especially those at the helm of affairs. He added that with the collaboration of all stakeholders, action will be taken to reverse the situation.
The deputy Minister of Defense added that water is life and its scarcity is a security threat which must be handled properly. He said the water catchment areas must be protected; otherwise all Sierra Leoneans present and unborn will be at risk.
The Ministerial delegation is expected to present its report to the Chief Minister for the attention of His Excellency the
President Julius Maada Bio this week.