-Residents Used Canoes for Movement
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia: In the wake of a torrential downpour on Thursday night, the community of Whea Town, St. Paul Bridge, District #16, Montserrado County has been transformed into a makeshift waterfront, with residents facing a severe transportation crisis and exorbitant costs simply to navigate their own streets.
Heavy rainfall inundated the area, causing the St. Paul Bridge vicinity and surrounding neighborhoods to flood extensively. By Wednesday morning, major roads were rendered completely impassable to vehicles, stranding residents and cutting off access to essential services, workplaces, and schools.
With no other viable options, citizens have been forced to resort to canoes as their primary mode of transport. Enterprising canoe operators have stepped in to fill the void, ferrying people through waist-deep water where cars and motorcycles once drove. However, this essential service comes at a steep price, with operators charging between 200 and 250 Liberian Dollars (LD) for a single trip.
“This is not a choice, it is an extortion. How can I afford 200 LD per person, for multiple trips a day? The rain has stopped, but our problems have just begun. We are prisoners in our own homes unless we pay,” Maria Doe, a mother of three lamented
The flooding has exposed the area’s inadequate drainage infrastructure, a long-standing issue residents say is ignored by local authorities until it becomes a crisis. The high cost of canoe transport places a significant financial burden on families, many of whom live on daily wages and cannot afford the unexpected expense.
“The water is high, and the price is even higher,” said John T. Brown, a local canoe operator defending the rates. “It is hard work and there is a risk. We have to make something for our effort, especially as we don’t know how long this will last.” Local community leaders are calling for immediate intervention from the National Disaster Management Agency and the Monrovia City Corporation to pump out the water and provide relief to affected citizens.
EPA Urges:
In February of this year, the Executive Director of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, issued a stern warning to Liberians against constructing buildings in wetlands and waterways, citing the severe environmental consequences of such actions. Speaking at a panel discussion held at Monrovia City Hall on Thursday as part of Monrovia Day celebrations, Dr. Yarkpawolo emphasized that these practices contribute to environmental degradation and exacerbate flooding in urban areas.
“People are building in wetlands, waterways, and illegally backfilling wetlands. This is unacceptable,” Dr. Yarkpawolo declared. He noted that despite the EPA’s efforts to regulate these activities, enforcement remains a significant challenge, as many individuals continue to disregard stop orders issued by the agency.
To address this issue, Dr. Yarkpawolo revealed that the EPA has formally requested the support of the Liberia National Police to enforce environmental stop orders. Additionally, a proposal has been submitted to President Joseph Boakai for the establishment of a National Taskforce on Wetlands, which would be led by the EPA.
