Serrekunda market vendors raise concerns over poor drainage system

Vendors at the Serrekunda Market opposite the ‘Bartez’ garage, have expressed concerns over the deplorable conditions of the drainage system in the market.

The Daily Observer had gone round the market to sound the vendors’ opinion on this issue. Amadou Jallow, an employee of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), posted at the Serrekunda Market, told  your daily national newspaper that his duty is to ensure that the market is kept clean and that no one throws rubbish in the area. According to him, he cleans the market every week, with the support of his colleagues and some vendors.
Jallow further explained that the drainage system in the market is blocked and the water cannot pass through, leading to the nauseating odor in the whole area.

Gibril Touray, a vendor at the market, advised all the vendors to clean the market regularly. He said as cleanliness is next to godliness, it should be everyone’s business to ensure that the market is always clean. Busu Danso, a female vendor, selling vegetables in the market, appealed to KMC to clean the drainage system or help them with cleansing materials to clean the place. Nyima Jadama, another vendor also expressed similar sentiments.

The Daily Observer also visited the KMC for a chat with Pa Kalipha Sanyang, the KMC public relations officer. According to him, the National Road Authority (NRA) is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the drainage systems. "As a council, we are very much concerned about the situation because of the health issues attached to it. We spoke to NRA about the issue and we were made to understand that they also had plans to unblock the drains and maintain them, but they [the NRA] are constrained by the fact that there is a new plan for the Westfield/ Sukuta road that does not include the existing drainage,"PRO Sanyang explained.

According to him, the vendors have no reason to remain there [in the Serrekunda market]  because the other markets like ‘Marche Ngelew’ and the Latrikunda German market are completely under-utilised and the vendors are not willing to move to those markets. PRO Sanyang alleged that the vendors are not cooperative with the council and don’t participate in the monthly cleaning exercises, locally called ‘set-settal.’ He finally told this paper that the council employees clean the market in the morning and also at night.