Binta Jaiteh &
Amie AP Ceesay
Brikama Area Council (BAC) on Tuesday launched SENEYA Project at the Brikama Area Council, West Coast Region.
It is a project conceived by the people to provide a sustainable solution to one of the most prolonged problems and challenges facing the people of the West Coast Region.
Speaking at the signing ceremony and launching of the project Mr. Yankuba Darboe, the Chairman of BAC said the launch is due to the lack of an effective waste management service for many household, commercial, and industrial waste produced in the region.
He added that the West Coast Region is the biggest and the most populous region of The Gambia.
According to him, Brikama is the most waste-producing region of The Gambia, but unfortunately, until now the region continues to struggle for an effective sustainable solution to the issue of waste management in the region.
“I encountered these challenges of our people during my campaign for the leadership of this council, and it is often one of the most complaint challenges of the residents of our region, as a result, our people have been left to manage their waste on their own.”
This situation, he said had compelled many of the residents to resort to dumping waste at any available space convenient to them, which is a grave threat to the environment.
More so, he said the issue of waste management had been among the priority issues they have dedicated their time in the council to find a sustainable solution in the shortest possible period.
“We hope, with the birth of this “Seneya project” such disregard for our environment will be a thing of the past. This is because we are today partnering with, at least 5 private companies Jatta& Sons Waste Management Company, SetalGam Waste Management, Krocon Waste Management, Dankuto Waste Management, and BMM Waste Management with many others to come. Through them, we have now added 9 very big refuse trucks to our fleet of waste collection to collect waste in our region,” he stated.
Ismaila Jallow, BAC Deputy Chairman, said the launching is important because it is historic in the sense that its purpose is for garbage collection. He noted that the project aims to ensure that efficient and effective waste collection is done to ensure a clean and hygienic environment within our community.
On his part, Momodou Jonga, CEO of BAC also added that the initiative which is said to be piloted within the Kombo North District and Kombo Central District is in line with the strategy priority for 2023 to 2024 on Waste Collection Management and Sanitation.
“This strategic pillar seems to improve waste collection similarly this project will reduce operational expenses and illegal dumping in the communities and promote recycling opportunities,” he said