Residents of Sanyang village in the Kombo South district yesterday took a résistance against Nassim Fishmeal factory by removing its wastepipe which they claimed its disposal liquid waste pollute the sea and described it a threat to local dwellers.
Barely a week after the announcement of granting of approval for the reopening of a Mauritanian owned Nassim fishmeal processing company and the laying down of its wastepipe into the sea by officials of the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a meeting with the community stakeholders has shown a strong defiance of digging out the company’s wastepipe and setting it on fire by the village’s youths on Wednesday.
The defiance of removing the factory’s drain-pipe meant for the disposal of its accused liquid chemical waste materials into the ocean has involved the reaction of both women, youths and including some tourists who are currently lodged at the community’s beach resorts complaining of having fear of losing their small businesses as natives and tourist restaurants owners that any time the company starts its fishmeal processing activities by releasing the unrestrained industrial smoke which covers the entire beach whiles also filed with a bad odour.
Ebrima Sanyang, a resident working at the Sanyang Beach lamented that: “Look this is very sad and worrying hearing some of the tourist saying that any time the waste pipe started throwing its liquid waste into the sea are not going to take any risk to swim in the water”
He explained that if business companies that are to discourage the coming of the tourist and the wellbeing of the environment at the beach which can also resulted to the destruction of the existing tourist business.
According to him, they are showing their defiance and defending the avenue of their only source of income in order to maintain the wellbeing of his family.
He said that it is worrying from the interaction they have with the tourist that any time disposal of the said fishmeal industrial waste is started to pump into the ocean none of them as tourist will take the risk to take a swim in the water.
Sheriff K. Bojang, Chief supervisor of Nassim Fishmeal Company explained that the disposal of the liquid waste into the sea that the community is complaining of said has been satisfied by a well-known water quality institution to be harmless toward human living.
He added that the digging and the laying down of the wastepipe into the sea came as a result of the approval in a consultation meeting with National Environment Agency and stakeholders of the community for the reopening and laying down of the pipe into the ocean.
Bojang, a former chairman of Sanyang Village Development Committee noted that the workers at the factory are being threaten by the youths at the beach when they started laying down their waste pipe into the sea
He further explained that some time they have to leave the work place and immediately close as to avoid any confrontation with anybody and now whiles stating that has reported the matter to the police.
“This is very illegal and a kind of threat to us because anytime we start laying down the pipe into the ocean we receive all kind of threats from people which I can has already been certain and approved by the authorities” he said.
Author: Yusupha Jobe
