The most recent seven-storey collapsed building at Shell New Road in the East End of Freetown
Another long story building collapsed on Monday along the busy Bai Bureh Road, Shell, killing several people.
It was a four-storey building with shops at the bottom floor, all of which were occupied. Councilor of the Community, Bompa Turay told Concord Times the building collapsed because it was erected on a waterway, and its foundation was weak, constructed with substandard materials.
“A robust action is needed to prevent other disasters like this,” he said. “We tell people this place is not ideal for construction, but they get permit from the Ministry of Lands and go ahead building whatever they want to build.”
This year has seen increase in falling of buildings in Sierra Leone, particularly in the Capital. Just between July and September, four story buildings have collapsed.
While some of those incidents have been linked to heavy downpour of rains, much of the blame has gone to the country’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning for issuing building permits and allowing people build in disaster prone areas, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry for allowing importation of sub-standard building materials in the country due to gaps in the testing and certification processes of the products being imported.
“Those buildings are collapsing as a result of sub-standard materials, NPPA Executive Director, Thomas Kamara also told this medium. “You don’t build a story building within a twinkle of an eye. We just see people build and lift them like that. This is the result.”
In an interview at Shell on Monday, the Deputy Mayor of Freetown City Council, Kweku Melvin Lisk said the rising building failures is a concern for everyone, saying the worst thing happening is that when the Council stops people from building in certain areas, they get permission from higher authorities to continue building.
“Less than two months ago, a building collapsed at Congo Town. We were told the construction of that building was stopped, but then with orders from above, they continue with the building, and then it collapsed,” the Deputy Mayor said. “This is an example to show that we need to collaborate to ensure the right thing is done.”
They construct those buildings in tricky areas without proper permit, without proper engineering, putting peoples’ lives in danger, he added. “It’s high time we all come together to put a stop to this kind of approach to building in this country.”
Reacting to the allegations of sub-standard building material being sold in the country, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a press statement issued last month that series of meetings were being held with major importers of Iron rods and building materials to address these concerns, and embarked on series of on-the-spot field monitoring visits to shops, stores in Freetown to get information on Compliance rate on conformity of importers of iron rods and other building materials.
By: Alfred Koroma
