By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning has expressed concern over the rate at which houses are collapsing in the capital Freetown.
The Deputy Director of Housing in the Lands Ministry, Abubakarr Jalloh in a media interview noted that they want to see people reside in beautiful houses and safe environments. He realized that most people are not even taking building permits from the ministry before embarking on construction.
“The building permit is the right that government gives to the land owner to construct a building which goes with the approved building plan,” he pointed out. But he assured that they are putting measures in place to ensure that they curtail the act of constructing buildings without a permit.
He said blame for buildings collapsing in the country should not be placed on the government alone, noting that all stakeholders in the building construction industry should be blamed. He said that there are landowners who know very well that before they construct a building, they need the services of engineers to do the work, but they prefer going to masons who are not qualified to do the work of engineers.
“Though the masons know the construction industry, it is not sufficient to solve contemporary issues that surround erecting a building,” he said.
Jalloh agreed that the Government does not have enough resources and manpower to undertake strict monitoring of buildings across the country. But he said the ministry has established an online system to apply for land permits, assuring that the next stage will be the monitoring aspect of lands without going to the field.
He said the ministry normally prohibit people from erecting buildings in disater prone areas, but instead the people conduct construction at night. He said just recently, the ministry inspected the building at the University of Management and Technology (UNIMTEC) which poses a danger to the students and they have warned the occupants to evacuate as it will soon be demolished.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, Solomon Rogers told Politico that the office has a statutory responsibility to develop standards to ensure the quality of products, undertake conformity assessment through effective Laboratory tests for compliance, and calibrate weight and measurement instruments to ensure value for money and fairness in trade and general commerce. However, he clarified that it is only the Consumer Protection Commission and Food Safety Authority that have the mandate to enforce penalties against defaulters.
He sympathized with victims of the buildings that have collapsed but said the bureau should not be held responsible as alleged by some segments of society, saying the engineering aspect could not be unconnected. He said their staff are always in the field doing verification of iron rods, checking for length and diameter to ensure that they conform to standards and fit for purpose.
Rogers expressed disappointment that the bureau is only present at the Queen Elizabeth Quay and Gbalamuya border.
He stated that the bureau is supposed to be the first port of call when goods land on Sierra Leonean soil to conduct background checks from manufacturing companies to see whether they meet accepted international standard before issuing a certificate of clearance and referring them to NRA for payment for onwards rolling out on the market. He said this has not been the case as some NRA and Port management are reportedly sidelining their staff even though the bureau has its Destination Inspection Office on sight.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) on the 15th August 2024 concluded a search and rescue operation after a four-storey building under construction at No. 41 Main Motor Road, Congo Town, on August 12, 2024, came crashing down, leading to the death of one person and others succumbing to their injuries in hospital. The NDMA's initial investigations suggest that the incident was a combination of poor construction design and the use of substandard building materials.
Also, another multiple storey building SS Camp close to Regent went down during heavy rain in July, killing a pregnant woman and a child. A five building collapsed at Joshua Drive back of Mission School but no one was hurt while the stadium fence also collapsed which led to the death of one, all happening this rainy season.
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