POOR SANITATION OVERWHELMS MONROVIA

Poor sanitation is associated with Monrovia, a city with sprawling neighborhoods hosting

people from the countryside, most of whom were displaced during the civil crisis. As a city grappling with surge in population of over one million people, it is also seriously overwhelmed with the problem of stuffy, clogged and leaking sewage lines.

The blockade of the stem drainage, the secondary sewage collection facility that receives primary sewage from homes and businesses, has not only caused the pouring of feces along Benson Street and UN Drive in the Buzi Quarter community, but subjected the city to constant outflow of sewage. This is simply because all the primary lines connected to the main line running south along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the Fiamah waste collection facilities have depreciated.

As a result, oozing tons of feces is causing unbearable pollution to communities to the displeasure of residents, who largely contribute to the wastage.

Without any sense of responsibility, residents of affected communities habitually throw dirt, plastics saturated with feces (do-do birds) from low and high buildings.

Founded in 1822 and located on the Atlantic Coast, Monrovia is currently the most populated city in Liberia. As it developed over the past centuries, it was divided into two sections; one for the returning African-Americans and the other for the existing local population that resides in. A sprawling city with sprawling neighborhoods, Monrovia is generally poor with intermittent electricity.

As little background shows that the city continued to grow as more people moved into Monrovia from the countryside, and back in the late 1970s, Monrovia's public housing and education system saw significant improvements. Unfortunately this came to a dead halt in 1980, when Samuel Doe led a military coup and Liberia was caught in two consecutive civil wars, infamous for their destructive violence which left no stone unturned, looting the water pipes under the ground and sold. Sanitation Status

Taking a close look today at sanitation provision in Monrovia, it is grossly deficient as compared to most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This seems to be the current sanitation situation in Monrovia.

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