Gento Group has been accused of illegal sand mining along the waterfronts, catchments and seaside residents of Tombo, Kent as well as other places in the Western Rural District.
Residents of both Tombo and Kent last July 2022 registered their complaints and concerns to FORUM via several phone calls after they narrowly survived series of deadly floods that hit their respective communities and destroyed property worth millions of Leones.
Rural community residents this medium recently engaged on the environmental challenged affecting lives, say rock blasting for granite production and sand mining were allegedly done in their villages by Gento Group. They alleged that Gento Group extracted all its local construction materials for its works, from quarries created by the company and wharfs in their communities. They said that since the extractions of granites and sand mined at their waterfronts and catchment areas were carried out there has been no respite for them as they are always hit by floods whenever it rain heavily. They are therefore calling on the appropriate authorities including the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct impact study and regulate the company to do land refills in the alleged areas it worked so as to bring a permanent end to the existing artificial lakes and other environmental degradations that are being caused by sand mining, rock blasting and stone crushing that were allegedly done by the Gento Group.
Speaking to residents of Tombo during a recent visit to the fishing village, Abdul Sanpha Gbla disclosed that they are still grappling with flooding that affect them every year since wharfs at their waterfronts were allegedly mined for sand by Gento Group construction and engineering company.
“We hardly get peaceful night rest whenever it rains torrentially starting from July, August and even in September. Our properties are always destroyed by dislodging water. I think Government should come to our rescue with a way forward to look into the situation in our communities and address the problems we are faced with here. This company extracted all its local materials including sand and granites from our communities and left us with so many artificial lakes. So the authorities must make the needful interventions to ensure that landfills are done here, said Gbla.
Another angry resident engaged in Tombo, Mabinty Sesay, who trades in fish said; “The last time it rained my business was heavily affected by the flood. Everything was destroyed by the disaster. I am totally confused by the damages being caused to our properties every year, especially during the rains. We do not deserve this kind of suffering for the enrichment of just one person. Somebody must take responsibility of what we are going through now. The construction company Gento Group who did the Waterloo roads and others, is the very group that allegedly left us with all the troubles we are faced with now”.
A similar sentiment was also expressed by Felix Thomas at Kent saying: “Sand mining is largely affecting so many economic and livelihood activities as most of us are embittered for the looming environmental dangers threatening our lives and our natural resources.” Thomas said that they were told that it land degradations were allegedly done the Gento Group engineering and construction company, which is now causing environmental damages in the rural district.
It could be recalled that Gento Group was contracted by the Government of Sierra Leone to undertake the rehabilitation, expansion and constructions of 32.165km rural road within the township of Waterloo.
The company did several urban and rural roads including drainages, channel and ditches to rain water, traffic signages and road markings. Among them are the 1.56km Hill Cut Road, 200m Regent Road, 1km Limkokwing University, 1km Jomo Kenyatta Road, the Kerry Town Ebola Virus Disease Treatment Centre, 1st, 2nd and 3rd phases of the Ring Road for which Gento Group allegedly sourced local construction materials.
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