By: Julius Konton
The rain stopped Sunday morning, but the water refuses to leave the Lakpazee Zoo Road community. Dozens of homes now sit trapped behind brown floodwaters, and the people inside can only watch as the new road they once welcomed turns into a dam.
That road, built without drainage channels, has rerouted nature’s path. Heavy overnight rainfall poured in Saturday, and instead of flowing away, the water pooled around homes, porches, and even a church. Families remain indoors, unable to move freely. Women, children, and the elderly are stranded on dry patches of concrete.
“We are happy for the road, but it is now affecting us,” one resident said, standing at the edge of water that had swallowed his front entrance.
Pastor Daniel Duobah, Senior Pastor of Global Psalm Ministries, has lived in this community for years. He has never seen flooding like this. “This is the first time,” he said. Now, with Liberia’s rainy season peaking, he fears the worst. “The water has already reached several porches. If stronger rains come, it could enter the entire compound, wash away our homes, and leave families homeless.”
Roughly ten residential buildings and a church are at risk. Residents say they warned contractors before construction began. They asked for drainage. They explained what would happen if rainwater had nowhere to go. According to Pastor Duobah, the contractors acknowledged the concerns—then built the road anyway.
Now, the elevated structure blocks the natural flow of stormwater, forcing runoff to accumulate where people live. The community is calling on Liberia’s Ministry of Public Works and other agencies to act before another downpour. “This is an embarrassment for us,” Pastor Duobah said. “We are calling on those in authority to come and rescue the situation before it goes completely out of control.”
Stagnant water now surrounds their homes. Sanitation is worsening. The threat of disease—cholera, diarrhea—creeps in with every passing day. Flooding is not new to Monrovia. Poor drainage, unplanned settlements, and inadequate stormwater management have flooded the capital for years.
The World Bank has called urban flooding a major risk to public health and infrastructure. Climate experts warn that heavier rains across West Africa will only strain these broken systems further. “We simply want development that protects the people it is meant to serve.”
