By Yusupha Jobe
The youth of Sanyang village have convened an emergency meeting and vowed to take legal action against Nessim Fishmeal Factory for wreaking havoc on the environment.
Muhammed Janneh an environmental activist explained how the factory continuing to damage the environment and putting lives and health of the residents into risk.
“We are in a very destructive environment where peoples’ lives are at risk. It is very frustrating to have a private company established in middle of the village giving them sickness and daily environmental damage. It is important as residents to find a final solution towards this problem. This cannot be accepted as our health is under daily threat,” he said.
He advised that taking legal action of ecological damage against the fishmeal factory can serve as a solution to the existing environmental destructions caused by the fishmeal plant.
He added: “I think we should start putting up plans as a community to sue the factory to court. This can be done if we all come together to defend our rights as citizens.” He noted that the villagers have been calling the attention of government who always gives a deaf ear to their concerns. “as natives, it is not fair to continue seeing them destroying our livelihoods.”
Yusupha Jassey, Secretary of the village development committee (VDC) said for the past years, the community of Sanyang has been engaging the authorities on the daily environmental damages created by the factory but their calls yield no fruitful result.
“For the past years the community of Sanyang has been engaging the government on the plight of the community regarding the environmental damages caused by the fishmeal factory. The only option to end the destructions is to take legal action against the company,” he stated.
The fishmeal company in 2018 was asked by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to cease its operations with warnings to regulate its treatment plant and environmental regulations.