-Expert says, as unhealthy odor covers central town
By Jerromie S. Walters
Damaged sewage system has resulted to the discharge of raw sewage into the streets, leading to serious population in parts of central Monrovia. This deteriorating state of the seweragesystem has not only caused severe environmental hazards but also poses a significant threat to public health. Cognizant of this, Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr., Liberia’s former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and current Relations Manager at Ivanhoe Liberia, says the West African state (Liberia), will need at least $USD100,000,000 (Hundred million United States dollars), to curb the current wave of environmental crisis (Damaged sewerage system) that has engulfed major streets in central Monrovia.
In a recent interview with WomenVoices, Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr., emphasized the dire consequences of neglecting the sewerage system in the heart of Monrovia. He stated, “There are several factors, one is the infrastructure that is lay underground host sewerage lines they are all corroded and has been damaged, most of them were placed there more than fifty or thirty years ago.” He believes considering that it has not been changed, most of them have broken up, thus creating room for pollution as the particles use the unusual side (s) if it can’t easily flow through the sewerage lines. The Environmental expert says- “Considering the resettlement, the design and the construction, it will cost at least hundred million United States dollars.”
While it (Pollution) also extends to water (River, etc…), the unhealthy situation also has what it takes to results to contamination. This contamination poses a serious risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and dysentery, which can spread rapidly and have devastating effects on public health. Because of this and several other reasons, Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr., stressed that immediate action is required to address this environmental hazard. He proposed a budget of one hundred million United States dollars to restore and upgrade the sewerage system in central Monrovia. This budget, according to him, would cover the repair of damaged pipes, the installation of modern wastewater treatment facilities, and the implementation of a comprehensive maintenance plan.
As vividly seen in several parts of central Monrovia, the untreated sewerages have also led to the release of toxic gases into the air, contributing to air pollution in different areas. The foul odor emanating from the sewerage system has become unbearable for residents, affecting their quality of life.
Howbeit- the environmental expert attributes the unhealthy issues a lot of streets and communities in central Monrovia are confronted with, to the inability or deliberate unwillingness of residents to properly manage their waste. “Another factor is the way we manage our waste. People have waste in their homes and when they want to dispose it, they wait at night when everyone is sleeping, they throw it in the sewerage system. Most of our waste generated are plastic waste, they do not easily get degraded so they stay permanently in the environment for sometime so it blocks sewerage systems and also create problems sending flow or sewerages back.”
The former Executive Director of the EPA called for increased public awareness and education on the importance of proper waste management and the consequences of neglecting infrastructure.
Generating funds
Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr. emphasized the importance of involving international partners and seeking financial assistance to tackle this issue effectively. He stated, “The government alone cannot bear the financial burden of addressing this environmental crisis. We need the support of international organizations and donor countries to ensure the successful restoration of the seweragesystem.”
He highlighted the need for a long-term strategy to prevent future damage to the sewerage system and ensure its sustainability. For external means, he recommended the need for partnership with international companies to underwrite or undertake the initiative, while the government pay by installments afterward. Dr. Blama worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia from 2008-14 as Programme Coordinator, Chief Technical Advisor, Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff, among other roles. From 2018-20, he served as the EPA’s Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer. He has more than 20 years of experience in operations, administration and public policy. Mr. Blama has strong experience in environmental consulting, serving in 2015-18 and 2020-21 for Planet Resources Management, Inc. (Liberia), becoming a managing partner. From 2005-08, he worked with the United Nations Environment Programme. Prior to that, he worked in the private sector with the TWIN Business Group Inc. and Unit Stone Construction Company in several capacities. He serves as chair and member of many non-profit organisations and learning institutions. In his career, Mr Blama headed Liberia’s negotiating team on multilateral environmental agreements, representing Liberia at several international conferences including the United Nations Environment Assembly, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, and various conferences of the parties, technical and negotiators’ meetings, and capacity-building programmes of multilateral environmental agreements.
The experienced environmental expert chaired the meeting of African technicians that developed Africa’s Common Position on the Sustainable Development Goals in 2013. Mr Blama holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Liberia. He earned certificates on public policy courses from the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), and further certificates in relation to environmental subjects like climate change from technical agencies in the USA and South Africa.
In a bid to ensure that the situation is addressed – Dr. Blama rallied the incoming government, “The new administration, I trust they should look in that direction. The person that goes to Public Works, the person that goes to Water and Sewer, the person that goes to EPA must be people of experience and have the mind to correct this. It’s first developing the mind and identifying the problem, See what it will cost and then go to look for money and identifying sources of funding, internally and externally.”
Major victims
For Newport Street, the issues of deplorable sewerages, and road have now gotten like a way of life for the dwellers, as the environment has been confronted with the challenge for over three years. Unfortunately, every single day that passes by- the situation becomes more complicated and demeaning for the residents and even business people along the street, while much has been done to curb or end the environmental problems.
Like several other streets in central Monrovia, Newport Street is engulfed with very serious environmental crisis, mainly with the damaged sewer lines that have left the street with a polluted euphoria for years, as it produces both unhealthy odor (non stop for years), and a vivid display of waste (liquid and solid) throughout.
As established so far, this unhealthy situation has been created by a damaged sewer connection at a facility in the Newport Jr. High School. Because of this damaged system, waste (liquid) often extend to the main Street, from within the compound (Newport Jr. High School).
Like the Newport Jr. High School pollution, damaged sewerage lines in other parts of the street have left it with a very indescribable odor that doesn’t allow residents to enjoy healthy air. Several parts of the street (Newport Street) are covered with polluted water and other waste.
In addition to this, there used to be a spoiled sewerage tank in the middle of the road that often overflowed and released waste on the street. Fortunately, the magnitude of the effects from this has reduced because interventions are often made by the Liberia Water and Sewer Cooperation (LWSC). More to the awkward sewerage system, residents and individuals that often use the street are challenged by the current deplorable state of the road, as it has now gotten from bad to worse.
As seen with the case of Newport Street, several other major streets in central Monrovia are also challenged by similar situations. These streets, including- Benson and Gurley, Benson and Johnson, Mechlin Street, Carey and Gurley, Water, Mechlin, Buzzy Quarter and UN Drive intersection and many more are rapidly taking the look of local streets in the rural parts of the country, if not for the presence of the decent facilities they have.
Residents, and business owners’ views
Grace Author, a resident and food vendor of Newport Street, is one of the direct victims of the unhealthy situation. She sells fried rice, spaghetti and different food stuffs along the street, but she battles the agony of the strong odor that comes from the damaged sewerage system. Because of this, hosting more customers has been a huge challenge for her.
Like any other person that’s concerned about their well-being, a lot of her customers are often impatient to even spend 30seconds at her place because the street odor doesn’t enable healthy air or smooth breath. She suffers the stress of having a decent meal in an unconducive environment.
“The line is the main problem, it’s not really safe and sometimes it drives the customers away. Because of the odor, sometimespeople can’t even be able to stand to buy, they will be running and saying all kinds of things.” With this, she rallies government intervention. “We are just calling on the government to see how best they can help us, it’s not easy.”
She says over the period, interventions have been made by the LWSC on few occasions, but they were initially told by the entity’s staff that they can’t provide a perpetual end to the pollution, except temporary interventions.
Like Grace, Mamie William is a resident of Newport Street. She deals with the sale of fruits and local beverages. If not horrible, she says the situation has been her greatest nightmare, especially for the fact that she has to live with it because she doesn’t have what it takes to ensure an end.
Despite these concerns and the root cause, Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr., says the current situation is also as a result of the growing population of the city, especially when it was initially created for less than hundred and fifty thousand people, or two hundred thousand maximum. Sadly, and as many know, the initial estimate has been surpassed. “Now it has a little over five hundred thousand and the system that was initially constructed to host people has tripped and there has been no expansion of that system. For what we have seen over time is the degradation of that structure and the decline of it without repair, and without replacement.”
Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr.: “People didn’t know that there were right-aways, when you build the city you have right-aways, for sewerage lines and to be able to service them and from time to time in the intervening times, through different governments, people who became City Mayors gave squatters rights to people and those squatters built over the sewerage lines so to access those lines and service them is also becoming a problem.”
In his opinion, it might require a difficult decision to now do the needful, if any government is interested in curbing or completely ending the situation. “It might require a hard decision to correct the wrong we have allowed.”He says it will requires the country nothing less than two billion United States dollars to relocate Monrovia, but to address the current situation, Dr. Nathaniel Blama Sr. recommends: “What we can do is that those squatters that have built along the sewerage lines, we can evict, resettle or move them and then reopen the sewerage lines and put new pipes in.” This, he’s convinced will be cheaper than relocating the city and will possibly cost a little over $USD100, 000, 000 (Hundred million United States dollars).
Gov’t intervention
Amid these challenges, much has not been done by the Liberia Water and Sewer Cooperation (LWSC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Public Work (MPW) and other entities that are tasked with the responsibility to address these issues.
Like the intervention on Newport Street by the LWSC, their employees and employees of the Ministry of Public Work (MPW), have also been seen on few occasions, providing temporary solutions to those problems that have existed for years.
City Orderliness
Monrovia, a city established in 1822, barely 25 years before the Declaration of Independence in 1847, passed its City Ordinance laws decades later in the 1970s, as the city experienced its population growth.
In 1950, the City of Monrovia’s population was estimated at 35,150 people. According to the World Population Review, by 1970, the city’s population had grown by 6.28% from a steady growth rate of 2.78% in 1951 and subsequent years recording 164,121 people.
With such an increasing growth in the city’s population in 1970, city authorities passed the City Ordinance No.1 law, which forbids littering in the streets to maintain its tidiness and protect the health of all.
Although this law remains enforced today, the current city authorities do not seem to be implementing it. This can be visibly seen through the recent wave of pollution created by damaged sewerage systems in parts of central Monrovia.
Delahousse’s comment
In October of 2021, Laurent Delahousse, the former Head of the European Union Mission in Liberia expressed his disgust about the filthiness of Monrovia, as he said the city (Monrovia) is “dirty and disgusting” after the pouring in of donors’ aid to clean up the city.
Ambassador Delahousse addressing a forum organized by the Monrovia City Council disclosed that he was “a bit surprised” by what he saw.
“Monrovia is a disgusting city, it is a dirty city. Of all the capitals I have seen in my previous posts in Africa, I have not seen one that is as dirty as yours,” EU Ambassador asserted. Ambassador Delahousse at the same time admonished officials of the city of Monrovia to address the issue of waste that continues to pose serious challenge for the Monrovia City government. “A clean city is an asset; it creates jobs and probably that is what Liberia needs most,” Ambassador Delahousse stressed.
But in his opinion, Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson T. Koijee, described Ambassador Laurent Delahousse’s comment that Monrovia is one of the dirtiest cities he has visited, as a restatement of the Monrovia City Corporation’s position that solid waste handling in the City of Monrovia is overwhelming their capacity to deal with the existing challenges they have in the absence of a sustainable approach.