By: Nyima Sillah
Waste management team at the Bakoteh dumpsite has said they are at risk of contracting coronavirus, as they are exposed to wastes materials amid the outbreak of the virus.
The team’s comment comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases that marked over 3,000 with 96 deaths since it emerged in March 2020.
Speaking to this reporter who had made a visit to the dumping site on Wednesday amid of downpour, Kemo Fatty Chief of the Team complained that “we face a lot of risk at the dumpsite because of the Covid-19 as we know that the virus can survive on the mental surfaces for more than 72 hours. Mental is one of the principal commodities in the dumping side that people use.”
According to him, they are also frontline workers who cannot abandon the dumpsite during the outbreak of the virus.
He also raised concern over behaviors of scavengers, saying they are at imminent exposure to virus as they are directly in contact with waste materials coming from the public amid the virus outbreak.
But he added: “it requires a lot of resources to have the waste pickers to seat at home because so far they are one of the most vulnerable people in our society.”
He continued that “the way to do with this people during this time is to give them an allowance that could allow them to stay at home and not to work until the situation is calm and safe for them. But who will have to pay the allowance of these people these are all questions that we are putting across and if they are not safe, we are not safe and they are people who leave on daily bread.”
“I wish we could have stop them instantly from today but you cannot stop people whose livelihood are depending on this waste, the best thing we can do is to equip them, train them on health and safety and give them protective equipments.”
“It’s a monumental responsibility that the KMC is doing and I think it is high time that all other councils and stakeholders step out from their comfort zone and begin to take this issue seriously. It already back fears and killing people more and more people will be dying from this problem if no serious action is taking,” he lamented.
