ENVIRONMENT

Dilapidated Buzzy Quarter
-set up for possible epidemic
By Bill E. Diggs
The Buzzy Quarter located east of the Barclay Training Center (BTC), is being faced with problems such as sanitation which shows possible signal of epidemic disease outbreak.
In a brief interview with one Thomas Zayzay, a resident of the community, he said “this community is very dirty to admit. One of the problems we are face with is the feces running from the public latrine from Bassa community and just behind the old labor ministry through this drainage to the mean line”.
He added that during mid-rainy seasons the ‘feces creek’ floods its drainage and climbed up their door steps causing sicknesses including diarrhea, cholera among others.
He suggested that one way to control this pollution is to get the drainage totally covered.
Apart from the drainage being filled with feces which slants through Buzzy Quarter from the foot of Bassa Community hill, many homes have its own stinky swamp either by the side or behind the house which is a possible proliferating ground for ‘militant mosquitoes’ the prime carrier of malaria.
Speaking with an elder of the community, Mr. John F. Wolobah, he acknowledged that most of the community dwellers are reluctant to clean even their own homes claiming that central government should do it for them.
“Many of the houses in this community lack indoor latrines; this makes the two public latrines which we have her insufficient to contain the population,” Mr. Wolobah averred.
He further said if he was to make any form of recommendation it will first begin with the building of more latrines which will help cut the health problems.
“It is time we help the government help us and stop relying [wholly] on the Central Government”, John Mason another resident said. He continued, “When rain starts to fall, we will have to roll our pants up because Buzzy Quarter itself is not properly drained”.
The head of the community, Sapla Tanue, told this reporter that the estimated population of the buzzy quarter community is approximately 8,000, with just two public latrines to their disposal.
These latrines Tanue said was build; one by the government and the other by Merlin during the course of the war.
“This is one of our major plights in this community as it is the mean reason of unsanitary life of many people,” Tanue said.
He therefore called on the Central Government and NGO’s alike to construct more latrines in the area in order to reduce the possible risk of epidemics.