By Edwin M. Fayia, III
Each year, perennial flooding has grave consequences on residents and businesses in many settlements in urban Monrovia and other coastal cities of Liberia.
This happens during the unpredictable weather pattern in the rainy season.
Reasons for the perennial flooding had been attributed to Liberians building houses and other structures in the waterways and alleys for the past many years.
Several studies by Liberians and foreign firms have revealed that many Liberians do not actually go through the official procedures to obtain permits from the Ministry of Public Works prior to construction works in almost all the cities in Liberia.
Besides, authorities and stakeholders in Monrovia and the Paynesville suburb told this reporter recently that, official warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not been heeded to by some Liberians in the country.
On top of the various warnings from the EPA and other environmental advocacy groups, many Liberians continue to build houses and business outfits in flood plain areas based on the arguments that securing land was an uphill challenge in the country.
However, urban land and city planners told this news organ that concrete mechanisms to should give the EPA the power to enforce environmental laws and regulations had been major causes illegal construction of structures in Monrovia and its environs.
The urban planners and other commentators also pointed out that the waste disposal system under the auspices of the Liberian Government has not been able to manage the system to the expectations of Liberians over the years.
Accordingly, most of the mechanisms crafted under the Urban Waste Management Program (UWMP) and funded by the World Bank have not achieved the kind of practical results in most parts of Monrovia, Paynesville and business centers.
Despite of the extensive criticisms by Liberians and some support partners about the contracted sanitation companies implementing the UWMP projects, such sentiments and outcries had allegedly fallen on deaf ears.
At the same time, media outlets in Liberia have on many occasions gave extensive coverage of the sanitation sectors challenges, shortcomings and failures, hence the woes of flood plain dwellers have perpetually remain in the dustbin of history.
Affected residents and small business owners have described their hardships at the hands of flood waters as a nightmare that has no ending in sight.
Many of the affected community residents pointed out that the frequency of garbage collection and disposal had been weak and dirt continues to spread in several parts of Paynesville and Monrovia.
In a particular chat with authorities of the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC), they noted that some community dwellers and small business entities do not want to subscribe to the Community Based Enterprise system (CBEs).
Heads of sanitation companies have argued on many occasions that community disposed of garbage during night hours in the various communities in Paynesville and Monrovia.
They underscored the need for community residents to share responsibility of the garbage collection and disposal by subscribing to the CBEs established by the PCC administration.