Commentary: Is the Environment Relevant in Post-War Liberia? 01/22/08 - Morris T. Koffa, koffamkoffa@yahoo.com, Environmentalist

I  read with interest, the topic “Liberia Government Two Years Later: Who Made the Grade?” a performance evaluation exercise conducted by FrontPageAfrica of just about the entire functionaries of the government of Liberia. Unfortunately, the EPA of Liberia was left out. Notably, similar exercise was carried out in the past by this institution which in my opinion brought some changes in strategic and performance upgrades at some ministries and agencies as reflective in grades of the past as compared.   The lack no sanitary landfill to receive about 600 to 800 metric tons of garbage collected each day in Liberia, particularly in the city Monrovia where half the country’s population resides is the underlining problem of the solid waste crisis. The exercise is quite informative and to some level gives one an idea as to how the government is measuring up in post reconstruction efforts with respect to its successes and shortcomings considering the decadences of the 14 years civil conflict. The exercise also serves as an indicator from which benchmarks can be established and progress optimized. While such an effort is respectfully applauded, most of us in the environmental community with interest in Liberia’s environmental state felt left out and find it even depressing and difficult to comprehend that such a well meaning exercise conspicuously excluded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a vital component of the government, not once, but twice. The EPA of Liberia unequivocally holds key to the success of all functionaries of the government for in the absence of a healthy and conducive environment from which viable human resources can be drew; there will not and can not be any measurable successes. The EPA of Liberia was established in 2003 by a legislative act with the mandate to manage and protect the environment of Liberia.  The environment, from a holistic perspective, borders every aspect of the ecosystem and particularly, the well being of human that demands an environment that nurtures and ensures healthy human resources so germane to the social, economic, political and spiritual being of any society. Liberia has suffered enough environmental destructions and continues to be the case for over one and the half century of absolute neglect by our leaders in the past while precious lives decimated especially the children, pregnant women and the elderly from an environment that offers nothing but pollution/contamination. Leaving this vital agency so charged with such enormous responsibility suggests and tends to legitimize the myth that the environment in Liberia is less important therefore does not matter; but yet is responsible for countless lives in the thousand every year that surpasses any other death statistics in Liberia. Life expectancy according to the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare stands at 41.5 years to a person. It may be recalled in 2003 life expectancy in Liberia was 47 years, according to UNEP Environmental Desk Studies on Liberia. In 2005 life expectancy in Liberia dropped to 45 years according to an independent study. This steady decrease of life expectancy in Liberia speaks volume to the problem on hand. There are noticeable progresses made by the government with respect to the environment in Liberia. Example, fully instituting the EPA followed by the appointment of an executive director; securing new garbage trucks and trash bins for the Monrovia City Corporation MCC, EPA ongoing campaign on “precautionary” and environmental management plans for industries to measure up and Liberia representation at International Environmental Conferences by the EPA are all glaring indications of some progress. But there are even greater issues of life threatening concerns that hang over the government which should have been prioritized because of the gravity of the issue. The lack of strategic comprehensive environmental plan of action based on short, medium and long terms approach with some benchmarks to measure success, spells out many unanswered questions to the prevailing sanitary and solid waste crisis. Example, the lack no sanitary landfill to receive about 600 to 800 metric tons of garbage collected each day in Liberia, particularly in the city Monrovia where half the country’s population resides is the underlining problem of the solid waste crisis. The dump site located in the Fiamah Community, according to the EPA, has been decommissioned. Where is the garbage been dumped now? There are no incinerators to handle medical wastes from hospitals/clinics – the syringes, blood-filled bandages among others  are randomly threw in wetlands, major tributary and beaches serve playing ground for  children not knowing whether the blood is contaminated. Hazardous/toxic waste is a common scene in some neighborhoods that have been there for some years. The Colonel West Community of the Borough of New Kru Town remains a site saturated with gallons of toxic oil spills from LEC facilities onBushrod Island. The children and pregnant women live in the toxic oil spill hopelessly. Efforts have been made through the appropriate organ for decontamination, clean up and possible evacuation, but all efforts failed and the perpetrator(s) still conducts business as usual while residents remain dangerously exposed.   Poor sanitation from solid waste and air pollution remain a crisis and pose a big challenge to government. Deforestation still remains a critical concern in spite of the new forest laws – reforestation is not matching up to what is being felled. Mining activities are on the rise since the UN sanction on diamond was lifted with little or no measure to protect the environment. Environmental laws and ordnances on the books lack enforceable mechanism and EPA does not have the capacity or trained personnel to police all 15 counties or critical areas to ensure compliance.         The EPA, like FDA, AG, LPRC and others is a functionary of government at such it should be drawn to the same standards of evaluation as per your yardstick to give your readership the same vantage point to see what progress the agency has made or is making to achieve the administration’s deliverables quota. Defense of human resources is just as important as anything else. Public awareness needs to be accorded the environmental state of Liberia to encourage individuals’ behavioral change and the culture of national neglect. Massive exposure and discussion of this cardinal issue through institution like FrontPageAfrica and other media inlets will help give relevance and thereby render needed potency to galvanizing the drive of national advocacy. The environment must be intrinsically linked in all areas of the political spheres of the country. We must together move Liberia’s environmental plight from the shadow of the past and make it a recipe of the political circle of the new Liberia. It must not be ignored anymore. A Clean Liberia is a Safe Liberia, please invest in its Environment. “I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?’ ~Robert Redford