The Minister of Water Resources
Momodu Maligie last friday told journalists at the weekly government press
briefing that government would soon demolish houses constructed on water
catchment areas in the Western Area.
Momodu Maligie said the acute
water shortage in the country was not unconnected to illegal structures
constructed very close to the Guma Valley dams, cutting of water pipes and
illicit connection of pipes.
“All the reserve of water catchment areas have
dried out and certain individuals have encroached on those places and
constructed beautiful mansions,” he said.
He said most of those who have
built houses in catchment areas are government officials and vowed that action
would be taken against such individuals. “We are going to
demolish those houses as soon as Parliament reviews the 1964 Guma Act and jail
people who entered into such land deal,” said
the youthful minister.
Mr Maligie was appointed in 2012 in the wake of
euphoria that greeted the second and final term election victory of President
Ernest Koroma, who went on to create a separate Water Resources.
However, he has faced torrid times recently as
the capital, Freetown, and other provincial towns and cities face acute water
shortage.
The Minister though insists that the ministry’s
mandate was to perform oversight functions in the water sector and that the
crisis was only brought to the notice of the ministry about a month ago, adding
that he took immediate steps to respond to the crisis.
He revealed that they have also received funds
from the Chinese government to construct groundwater sources to improve on the
water supply in the city, while investments were ongoing for the Rokel River –
some 40 miles from the capital city – to supply the entire city.
The minister admitted that this year’s crisis is
the worst, compared to previous years, and blamed the phenomenon on heavy
deforestation around the dams and vowed that the crisis would never reoccur.
He disclosed that the ministry would soon
introduce a smart metre system that would control the supply of water to
customers, reduce fraud and increase the revenue base of the water sector.
The current water crisis in the country has
forced the Ministry of Water Resources to institute extra measures of taking
water bowsers to deprived communities, mostly in the east of the city, as
immediate measures to cushion the effect of the crisis.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Internal Affairs also
addressed the presser that he had declared war on Commercial Motorbike riders
that ply the Central Business District (CBD).
Motor bike riding is a common phenomenon among
thousands of unemployed youths, but lawlessness among riders is on the increase
with series of reported cases of accidents.
Alfred Palo Conteh told newsmen that his ministry
would intensify a crackdown on motor bike riders, school children and market
women who engage in some kind of lawless and indiscipline.
“Market women and school children are the next
group of people that I will focus on after the commercial bike rides. I am
confident that after the 100 days, sanity will prevail in the CBD,”he said.
The erstwhile defence minister noted that
commercial bike riders persistently disobey traffic rules, refuse to register
their bikes, and engage in activities as though they were in a jungle.
“I don’t ask for a pound of flesh from the
commercial bike riders. I am picking a fight with them to curb lawlessness in
the city,” he said.
Also, Minister of Energy Ambassador Henry
Macauley explained reasons behind the recent power outage and apologised to the
public.
He said the Bumbuna hydro dam had been shut down
and was undergoing a ten-day annual maintenance that started Monday, 16 May.
Ambassador Macauley admitted
that there were challenges in the energy sector during the dry season, but
promised that his ministry was working assiduously to ensure adequate supply of
electricity not only in the city but nationwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment