The Mayor of the Banjul City Council (BCC) Samba Faal, has once again stated his council’s resolve to improve the status of the capital city.

He declared that their priority is to make Banjul, which has a population of 35,000 people, a "liveable city". The mayor was speaking Tuesday during a chat with this reporter at his office at the BCC chambers. He explained that the BCC, like any other council, is a non-profit, social service delivery institution. He added that they are there to work for the benefit of not only the people within their jurisdiction but to a large extent the masses taking cognisant of the fact that the city receives an estimated number of 400,000 people everyday. To this end, he disclosed that his council has prioritised its interventions on three key areas namely; environmental sanitation, infrastructural developments, as well as youth and women empowerment.

Environmental sanitation
Commenting on the sanitation of the city, Mayor Faal disclosed that his council has already acquired three brand new trucks to be commissioned very soon. These vehicles, he said, would go a long way in addressing the challenges of keeping the city clean, particularly collection of refuse from compounds for proper disposal.

The problem of the poor drainage system, which appeared to be the major obstacle in addressing the sanitary problem of the city, according to the BCC mayor will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the concern and foresight of President Jammeh who has earlier announced his intention to address the problem. "Thank God that the president has taken the initiative to make sure that it will be a story of the past. In fact the consultants are already here and we were opportune to meet with them. They have started the consultancy work to look at the drainage and pumping systems and also the road networks," said Mayor Faal, while expressing BBC's resolve to take part in the implementation process. He then raised concern over water not flowing in the drains attributing it to the fact that the inhabitants use the drains to empty waste water from their compounds.

He continued: "These drains are for rain water. Under normal circumstances during the dry season, all the drains should be dry. Thank God that every compound in Banjul is connected to the sewage system unlike in the Kombos where there is none. So all the waste water should be pumped into the sewage system." He pointed out that this has contributed in worsening the problems of drainage system, observing that it has also provided more breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The mayor opined that attitudinal change on the part of the residents of Banjul is greatly needed in complementing their efforts to address the problems of the city. "They have to change their mindset and make sure that nothing is dumped into the drains. Hopefully when the whole project is completed all the drains in Banjul will be covered and when that is done, then the problem would be solved," he stated.

He further went on to express concern over the actions of some of the inhabitants of the city who have turned the mangroves into dumping grounds. Such acts, he warned, threaten the survival of the mangroves due to the water blockage that they cause. He however expressed optimism that once the project currently under study is completed, these problems will be a thing of the past. The project, he added will restore the lost glory of Banjul in terms of drainage, recalling that the pumping station located in Bond Road was very instrumental in managing the inflow and outflow of water in the city.

Infrastructure
In the area of infrastructural development, Mayor Faal said his council is currently rehabilitating the Garba Jahumpa Upper Basic School, an educational institution built by the BCC. "For all these years, it has not been rehabilitated. So we are now in the process of doing that. The classes and the toilets have been refurbished and we are going to build the administrative block," he revealed.

He further revealed that they are in the process of rehabilitating the Lasso Wharf market, which he said, has been dormant for the past years. He described the current state of the market as "pathetic", noting that its rehabilitation will go a long way in easing the burden on the Albert Market. New stalls, he explained, will be built to cater for more commercial businesses.

Mayor Faal also said that they have already started the rehabilitation of four major accessible roads in the city including the Primet and Hills streets. He said the costs have been paid for by the council and that it is meant to complement the efforts of the government.
He added that they also have plans to extend the street lightening system in the city.

Empowerment
Commenting on the council’s empowerment programme, Faal said that they have been giving out scholarships to support the inhabitants of Banjul. "Whatever we do is to complement the efforts of the government particularly the president of the Republic. When you talk about Banjul, you are talking about the capital city and therefore we should make it look like a capital city," he stated.

He concluded by commending President Jammeh on behalf of his council and the people of Banjul for his concern for the development of the city.