Abstract
The study examines the impact of urban flooding on school children and their coping mechanisms in the Community of Ebo town in the district of Kanifing of the Gambia. In this study the qualitative approaches is found to be the most effective method in order to explore and descript an objective meaningful results. The study collected its data in documents ranging from storyboard of student living in the flooded area, to interviews techniques with school children and community members, using random sampling methods in order to select the primary data.
The study shows that flooding has a harmful impact
on the education of children, especially in Ebo town, because the
environment is surrounded by poorly urban infrastructure and during the
rainy season the area is uninhabitable for its population. Throughout
the seasons, especially during the raining seasons, Ebo Town is
inundated with garbage because it is located next to the dumping grounds
in this swampy area. Apart from being a swamp, it is also sloppy
because the water from the municipality passes through to drain to the
river. The municipality through its weekly campaigns, put in place many
measures to dispose of waste in the best way; however, there is a need
for attitudinal change for the population towards the way in which they
dispose their waste in the run offs on the side of the roads. In
addition, the drainage systems are always full of different kinds of
waste which contributes to the pollution in the area.
These
findings show how living around the Ebo Town area is negatively having
an impact on children′ education manifested in their attendance and
performance. Furthermore, due to the smoke from burning rubbish, this is
causing physiological and psychological health effects on them. These
effects seem to show symptoms of diseases including skin irritation and
restlessness. Flooding also creates gender bias because the parents
would allow male children to go to school during floods while female
children stay at home for the house chores.