Faranah: the plant cover is not doing as well…

Chief Warrant Officer Mory Fodé Diané is the regional inspector of environment and sustainable development for the administrative region of Faranah. In this interview, he tells us more about how the plant cover is affected and gives a negative assessment of the current situation suffered by the Niger River, this international heritage which is a common good of 9 countries in the sub-region.

Universciences: how is the environment in Faranah?

Mory Fodé Diané: the environment is doing more or less well in Faranah, as today with development and with the increase in population; there is increased pressure on the natural resources that make up our environment. As you know, human beings get our food from natural resources; and this continuous mechanism causes the environment to deteriorate. Because of the different activities, notably agriculture, with the clearing of plant cover which does not even spare the banks of watercourses. And the artisanal exploitation of gold in Dinguiraye, which does not really take into account the principles, because once on the ground, you will understand that it is a semi-industrial exploitation, because there are machines which are used and chemicals which are prohibited are still used.

Following an observation at the Aviation site, people are excessively degrading this part, by making bricks. What are you doing to educate them to stop this?

Unfortunately today at the urban commune level, you have a group of people who make baked bricks on the banks of the Niger River which is shared by 9 countries in the sub-region. In 2019-2020, we tried to focus on this question so that we could channel this group of actors; we tried to formalize them into groups. There is a group manufacturing fired bricks in Faranah, so we sought ways from the State so that it could help us so that we could stop manufacturing bricks along the Niger River. This production has many disadvantages. As I said earlier, they were formalized through their president, Sidiki Sagno, and he and we fought with the State to have the means so that these people were oriented towards BTS, that is to say only stabilized earth bricks. But until now, we have still not received the means to take care of them.

Regarding the dumping of plastic waste into waterways. Are you raising awareness among populations so that they stop this type of behavior?

When I took office in September 2017, my first observation was that there is no waste landfill in the urban commune of Faranah. Very quickly, I approached the local authorities at the time, at all levels, in particular the mayor who is young like me, who actually understands the dangers of the thing. Together, we set up a commission, which set out to identify places that could house landfills. Today, we have 4 sites that can be set up to receive the city’s waste. But until then, we are looking for ways to make these sites operational. For the specific question of the Niger River, we have indeed observed that people are throwing garbage into the river; I again approached the mayor who summoned all neighborhood leaders to encourage them to prohibit their population from throwing garbage into the river. Four months ago, an NGO led by Mohamed Mansaré organized a cleaning of the river, from the Tonkolonko district, up to the University level.

Global warming is a global scourge. Africa is responsible for 4% of greenhouse gases. How do you fight against it in Faranah, and do you inform people about the consequences of climate change?

I hosted two awareness sessions on rural radio on the consequences, the causes and also how to reduce the effects of climate change on the microclimate.

Do you sanction these people whose activity is to degrade nature?

We sanction them. But, you know better than me, as soon as there is a sanction against someone, it is extremely difficult; it's all the wise men of the city, it's the imamate, who gets up to come see you, to say forgive him, he won't do it again. And then someone else needs it again. The State must help us to enforce our policy, otherwise it will not work.

Do you have an appeal to make to the populations of Faranah, so that they can contribute to the protection of this environment which is so dear?

As I always say, Faranah is an ecological zone par excellence. But we would have to respect environmental standards. If we did not respect this, the prefectures which come to get these resources here, tomorrow; we will look for them elsewhere. We need to know how to use the resources we have rationally so that our children can benefit from the benefits of tomorrow. Because if our grandfathers started cutting wood like we do today, we certainly weren't going to find any wood. So, I would like to once again appeal to the populations of Faranah to produce the charcoal they must consume. Do not want to resupply Conakry today. Faranah can't do it, if we get into this, we will destroy the plant cover in less than 5 years. And this will make Faranah, more and more, a savannah area.

Comments collected by Fanta BARRY, returning from Faranah, for the AJSG