Sierra Leone - State of the Marine Environment 2015

6.17. Dumped waste

6.20. Coastal Shoreline Erosion

Domestic waste and trash are widely dumped into the sea. Worse examples include the Freetown bays, KingTom, and Granville dumpsites. Fish kills reported in the 1980s were caused by suspected dumping, dredge spoil dumped into the Freetown estuary and sewage discharge from Freetown. Ndomahina (1994) reported the mass mortality of catfishes ( Arius spp. ) along the entire coastline. 6.18. Marine DebrisWracks The condition is assessed to be good, but the worst places include the Freetown beaches and the Mahera beach in Lungi. 6.19. Sediment Transportation The condition is assessed to be poor and declining. Examples of least impacted coastal areas are found around the Scarcies River. Examples of places most disturbed by humans causing sediment mobilization (mining, coastal development, sand mining, deforestation, etc.) are found mainly in the north and south of the country.

The condition is assessed to be good, but declining. Examples of areas where erosion is not an issue include the southern region around Sulima and Bonthe-Sherbro Island. Examples of worst areas affected by erosion include the area around Freetown, the Freetown peninsula and islands. 6.21. Freshwater inflow, Surface and Groundwater runoff Many rivers in Sierra Leone are free-flowing into the sea. However, worse conditions occur in the Scarcies River region. The Rokel River and the Moa River have been damned, but fresh water is still flowing.

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