Ms.Diop,

I am assuming that the serious nature of the erosion of Gambia's coastline
is recognised by all and thus I need not get into the extent of the havoc
already caused by it. For those who did not take the problem seriously were
rudely awakened on the night of 8th February, 2001 when, in the area
between the Old Muslim Cemetery and "Tonasi" or Alice Carr, the high tide
crossed the Banjul-SerreKunda Highway. If mitigating measures are not taken
now, the highway faces the threat of being engulfed by the ocean, resulting
in the isolation of Banjul from the rest of the country. I personally
inspected the site the same morning of the incident.

The sediment deposition phenomenon at Barra Ferry Terminal is another
concern of Government and the Department o
f Works.  Siltation at the Barra
Ferry access piers has increased, restricted ferry operation to period of
high tide conditions.  We have two problems facing us here (a) restricted
ferry operation and (b) the number of Banjul-Barra ferries is now down to
one.  The first problem can and will be addressed by the proposed Coastal
Protection Project. The second, I understand, is being addressed through
the purchase of an additional ferry.

In response to the specific questions posed by Ms. Diop, I shall be as
brief as possible; a highly risky proposition given the technical
complexity of the study:

1. The Coastal Protection Study commenced in January 2000 was successfully
completed in April 2001. A Dutch consulting firm by the name of HASKONIN
conducted the study.

2. The model that was developed during the studies, divided the areas for
implementing erosion protection measures into four zones. Z
one 1 (Banjul
Point to Sand Spit)or old Madi's flats to around Mile 4-5 area. Zone 2(Sand
spit to Cape Point);Zone 3 (Cape Point to Bakau) and Zone 4 (Bakau to
Kololi). The protective measures proposed in the erosion zones are
classified into "soft" (reshaping and restoring the coastline through suppy
of sand) and "hard" (rock groynes, revetments and repair of old timber
groynes). The "soft" measures are common in all four zones whereas the the
hard measures exclude Zone 4.

3. Government was presented with four Options including beach restoration
with sand from "external" source; restoration with sand from spit involving
the removal of the sand spit after Wadner Beach and beyond Oyster creek,
and building by nature.

4. The sedimentation problem at Barra Ferry Terminal will be addressed
through a single Option recommended by the consultant i.e. hopper dredging

5.
Government opted for Option 1 for reasons of costs and technical
feasibility among other factors.

An Action Plan already exists and ready for implementation once funds are
made available by the AfBD and Opec Fund in September, 2001.  The estimated
cost of the Project is UA 15.12 million (1UA=GMD17.99=US$1.30)with AfDB
putting up UA10 million, Opec Fund UA 4.46 million and Govt. UA 1.66
million.

The estimated starting date and duration is January 2002 to June 2004 (30
months).  I can assure you Ms. Diop that Government appreciates the urgency
of the problem.  Infact, under normal circumstances, this project would
have been scheduled for funding in the middle of next year but because of
the incident I cited above, the funding was accelerated so that remedial
measures could be taken immediately to protect the economic infrastructure
and the livelihood of almost a quarter of the Gambian population who

depend, directly or indirectly, on tourism.

Sidi Sanneh

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