Freetown
was designed to serve as a model to other Sierra Leonean
cities in the way solid waste is managed. For many years,
large quantities of Freetown‘s solid wastes is disposed of
at the Granville Brook dumpsite which is essentially an
open dump. This approach can be classified as a primitive
stage of land fill development and is the predominant
waste disposal option in Freetown which can pose major
public health threats and environmental impact in the city.
Down the valley of the estuary, on both sides along the
Granville Bay is the Racecourse Culvert residential slum.
It is one of the largest and poorest slums in Freetown,
located at the mouth of the Freetown River. All wastes
disposed of in the dumpsite will end up there causing
health risk and environmental disaster like massive
flooding during the rains to the inhabitants [20]. In Freetown,
the Granville Brook dumpsite is now in the centre
of the city, surrounded by many human settlements; thus
posing public health hazards to residents who settle next
to it. At the same time, the dumpsite is already filled;
having been pushed beyond it limits, and due to poor
operational system, the dumpsite has almost degraded
into potentially hazardous and toxic dump (Figure 1).
Land is now scarce in the city to relocate the dumpsite;
land owners in the surrounding villages and towns of the
city are not ready to give up their lands for the creation of
a new dumpsite. Therefore, as a best option, the location
of the dumpsite should be properly planned and managed
to avoid risks to human health and the environment, at
large [21]. Corrective and management measures are
likely to be expensive, complex and pose serious threats
to the environment and its inhabitants.