By Ragan M. Conteh

Stakeholders at Charlotte Community have drawn Government of Sierra Leone attention to the situation in Charlotte community about a Hydro Power dam there.

It faces a serious problem from massive deforestation that could render the Hydro power useless and threats to the lives of the masses in the community.

Authorities and stakeholders have said that they had tried all they could to stop people from destroying the forest around the dam, but they always meet with stiff resistance, threats, invectives, and physical attacks to landowners.

“I have been with the company since the construction started and government gave the Chinese 45 acres of land to construct the Hydro power, but land grabbers have occupied the land thereby creating serious problem for the dam,” stakeholders have said.

They said they don’t understand what is going on with most Sierra Leoneans as they have destroyed all the forest around the Hydro plant, leaving the dam at the mercy of God.

They said apart from the deforestation around the dam, the wind is so strong and the sun dries up the water at a faster rate thereby affecting the Hydro plant.

“We are calling on Government to take all necessary actions now to protect such an asset which is of immense support to the national power grid, but if they refuse to stop the destruction and do not try to reforest the area, all the government resources and sacrifice made may go in vain,” they said.

The Charlotte Hydro Power project is one of China’s flagship programmes meant to help the country’s rural electrification drive. China has committed millions of dollars in the project as it stands to produce 2.2 mega watts.

Stakeholders complained kf land grabbing which has been a major contributor to environmental degradation as it causes soil erosion, especially those grabbers who tiled the land at the hill top. This leads to the wearing away of the land surface by due to natural forces such as wind, water, and ice.

The grabbing of land has caused climate change  caused by  an increase in the intensity and frequency of storms, worsening erosion.

This can be especially damaging in areas that are already prone to soil erosion due to their topography or land use.

Additionally, climate change can cause an increase in the intensity and frequency of floods which affect the community.