Clogged Drainage pattern appears to be one of the most severe Environmental Health burdens faced by residents of Newport Street in Monrovia, Liberia.

The impact of clogged drainage will continue to be serious, as residents both rich and poor continue to dispose their household waste into water ways. The worst case can be found around the God’s Will Public Clinic; this clinic is located directly adjacent a drainage that is stuck with domestic waste. Diarrhea and dysentery is recorded to be the main health problem in a number of homes with in this locality.

Disposal of solid wastes in open areas create unhygienic conditions and spread diseases in the environment. The industrial and hazardous wastes have a negative impact on human health and the ecosystem integrity.

Until there can be proper waste disposal procedure in place for the Newport Street Community, sicknesses and high rate of air pollution will be on the increase. Shelter of community dwellers will continue to be unhealthy.

The community’s profile was recorded and major individuals in the community identified. The overall picture of the environmental Circumstances of residents from the community and the inequalities inherent in it are growing in depth and breadth. Majority of respondents are generally not aware of, or informed about the environmental risk of dumping waste into drainage lines. Household respondents, students and occupational groups identified solid waste disposal into drainages as the most serious problem confronting residents of Newport Street.

Garbage is perceived as a serious problem and three occupational groups (market women, men traders, and male tailors) ranked the problem as the most severe in the community. In addition, other groups perceived garbage to be among the four most severe environmental problems in the community. The overall trend as well as the emphasis many groups assigned to solid waste underscores how burdensome it is in the community. It is not surprising to have these responses since any casual observer in the community will readily notice the stark as well as choked drainages littered with domestic waste.

Disposal of household waste is mostly undertaken by women (since majority of the community dwellers are Muslims) and the serious garbage problem affects them most. In one of the interviews, a female household respondent had this to say about the hopeless of filth engulfing Newport Street. She lamented as follows: “Everywhere in the community you see different kinds of garbage as if these were some treasured materials. Because the containers by the roadside and other dumpsite are always overflowing, people resort to managing their own waste by throwing it into the various drainages. This uncollected garbage is particularly a nuisance for households and businesses that are place along the water passage because the stench is difficult to bear, and the flies invade nearby houses and spread diseases faster”.

The golden promise made by former Public Works Minister William Gyude Moore that Monrovia’s drainages will be maintained under his Ministry, is now comfortably on what the Newport Street residents call “perpetual ice” (Edwin M. Fayia III. May 27, 2016 Liberia: Monrovia’s Drainage System a sanitation Nightmare. Liberian Observer-Monrovia). The CDC led government is now left with the utmost indulgence of the past government to control and provide measures for a sustainable environment.

Written by Anthonette Quayee.