A massive underground cave with water running in it has collapsed in the residential area of Mosimbo in Regent Village. The collapsed cave was situated under a construction site owned by Ousman Kamara. Meanwhile nobody was injured but ten people have moved from their residence as the tunnel runs under their houses. Dauda Sankoh a resident of the community said that the tunnel caved in on the 2nd August 2019 during the torrential rainfall that hit Freetown killing 7 people, injuring scores and displacing thousands. He said seven people were living near the site as caretakers but have now moved away temporarily until a convenient place is found for them. Currently they are living rough including their children. The water in the hole was plenty and we were very worried so we told the people living near the hole to evacuate for their safety, Abdul Rahman Sesay said. He revealed that the underground water exited downstream and destroyed houses and properties in its path. “My brother is suffering having four children and the place they are staying is not conducive”, he stressed. Mohamed Madie, a victim of the sinkhole said that the exit water that came from Mosimbo destroyed his house. “I was afraid so I took my wife and little baby boy and left the place” he noted. He went on to say that since the incident occurred, nobody has responded to them.
[membership]
David Jacob, a neighbour near the sinkhole site said the water inside it comes from a water catchment. He said it is unsafe for anybody to reside in that area for the time being. The Head of the Geology Department, at the Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mustapha Thomas said that sinkholes are not common in this country. He said they occur in places that have limestone areas made of sedimentary rocks. He said the underground water enters the pores of the rock and dissolve the calcium carbonate causing a hole and the more the erosion occurs, the wider and deeper the hole will be. When these holes open in the surface of the earth they become sinkholes. “When fractures occur in bedrock and widen, it can cause sinkhole” the geologist said. Thomas said these fractures could be an early warning that there could be a pending disaster. He therefore opined that the area should be cordoned off until detailed geological investigation is done there to ascertain the depth and width of the hole. The head Woman of Regent Village, Elenorah Jokomie Metzger said that people are grabbing and building houses in disaster prone areas. They do not consult the relevant authorities before constructions are done. He said before building permits are given, the sites should be inspected to ensure that tunnels, caves and other causes of disaster do not exist. He said that entire areas have been built on caves and the relevant state institutions must take note of that.
By David Thoronka
Wednesday August 14, 2019.
[/membership]
[membership level=”0″]
Login or Subscribe to read the entire article
[/membership]