Caritas Freetown has strengthened efforts to reduce flood risks in vulnerable communities through a three-day community and main street cleaning exercise across selected areas in the Western Area.
The exercise, which ran from September 17 to 20, 2026, with September 18 excluded, formed part of Caritas Freetown’s project, “Strengthening Community Flood Preparedness and Early Humanitarian Response for Vulnerable Communities and Households in Western Area Urban and Rural Districts,” funded by CAFOD.
The project is being implemented in eight flood-prone communities, including Culvert, Portee, Kroo Bay and Gray Bush in the Western Area Urban District, as well as Goderich-Crab Town, Levuma, Waterloo Bofla and Grafton in the Western Area Rural District.
As part of the exercise, main street cleaning targeting clogged drainages was also conducted in several areas. In the Western Area Rural District, the exercise covered Bassa Town, Campbell Town, Jui and Regent, while in the Western Area Urban District, cleaning was carried out along Wilberforce Street, Priscilla Street, Gabriel Street and the Salad Ground Market.
According to, Alimatu Turay, Project Officer at Caritas Freetown, a needs assessment conducted in disaster-prone communities identified blocked drainage as one of the factors contributing to flooding.
She said the cleaning exercise forms part of Caritas’ broader effort to promote preparedness rather than waiting to respond after disasters occur.
“We’re doing this as a preparedness mechanism and not always reacting to disaster,” Alimatu Turay said.
She added that Caritas, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and Freetown City Council, has also trained Community Disaster Management Committees on disaster preparedness and response.
Alimatu Turay stated that indiscriminate waste disposal is a major challenge and said the exercise was also intended to sensitize residents about the link between proper waste management and flood prevention.
“Indiscriminate waste disposal poses a risk to our communities. People should understand that a healthy environment is a safe environment,” she said.
Gabriel John Hallowel, Deputy Disaster Officer at Freetown City Council, said community ownership of the cleaning exercise was important because residents are often among those most affected when flooding occurs.
He said the support provided by Caritas was significant to the council’s flood mitigation efforts, particularly before and during the rainy season.
Gabriel John Hallowel also highlighted other interventions aimed at improving waste management, noting that Catholic Relief Services (CRS) had supported the Council with tricycles to help some communities remove household waste.
He called for continued collaboration between the Council, Non-Governmental Organisations and communities to address waste management and flood risks.
“Beyond this exercise, we look forward to more coordination with other NGOs with similar initiatives and expect communities to take responsibility of waste management within their household and the community,” Gabriel John Hallowel said.
Meanwhile, Rachael Dumbuya, a Community Disaster Management Committee volunteer in Grafton said the cleaning exercise had contributed to reducing the community’s flood risk but called for additional support.
She said Grafton remains vulnerable and requires continued interventions, particularly to improve its drainage system.
Rachael Dumbuya suggested the use of machinery to clear and deepen some drainage to reduce water overflow, which she said sometimes contributes to flooding.
She also called for stronger community bylaws to discourage indiscriminate waste disposal and urged the police to support their enforcement.
Rachael Dumbuya further raised concerns about the construction of structures in waterways, saying such activities are worsening the community’s vulnerability to flooding.
The cleaning exercise was part of Caritas Freetown’s broader efforts to strengthen community preparedness, promote environmental cleanliness and minimize the risk and impact of flooding before disasters occur.
