Bomeh, a large dumpsite in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Located in the east end of Freetown, is Bomeh, the largest dumpsite in Freetown. Here,
people come to dump all kinds of waste at any time of the day. The dumpsite, admitting huge amounts of waste on a daily basis , is putting the community at risk from pollution and all other kinds of diseases. The garbage dumpsite is quite imminent. Everyday people come here to either dump waste or find things that they can then resell to make money.
Various hazards are associated with the waste dumping sites. Landfills such as this one
cause serious problems for the environment. They are like the antithesis of sustainability.
Currently, we are generating way too much waste. According to her World Bank report, the
planet produced 2.01 billion tons of waste in 2016. We like a society that over produces
constantly and throws away just as much. But the thing is now we don’t know what to do with
our waste.
Surface water contamination, groundwater contamination, bad smell , odour, release of greenhouse gases, accidental hazard caused by fire, loss of vegetation, Soil contamination are some of the hazards associated with dumping sites such as this one. On top of causing a serious hazards for the health of the local population living around the area. What are dumping sites or landfills ? Landfills are basically sites designed to store garbage. Modern landfills are supposed to be well-engineered and managed facilities for the disposal of solid waste as well as to minimise the effects of rubbish on human health and the environment. Landfills sites are also known as dumping sites, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground. They are the oldest and most common form of waste disposal. “In developing countries dumping sites are not always well organised and well designed and mostly follow a three step process: we collect, dump, and burn”, says Mohammed Kanu, manager of the dumping sites. A landfill site is a location that has been prepared for the purpose of dumping waste, rubbish or debris. Before the land is used to store waste, diggers are used to give it a suitable shape and it is covered with an artificial water-resistant coating to prevent the rubbish from contaminating the soil. The law states that landfill sites must be located away from inhabited areas, as well as areas used for farming or drinking water. Waste is crushed and compacted—so it occupies as little space as possible—then transported in lorries to outdoor landfill sites, where it is dumped and buried under layers of soil to decompose. But the truth is that much of this waste take years to decompose due to the conditions of the landfill sites—where there is little oxygen and moisture—and the characteristics of the material.
