By: Julius Konton
Monrovia, home to an estimated 3 million people, is rapidly becoming an environmental catastrophe, as the capital faces what public health professionals describe as a “full-blown sanitation breakdown.”
Garbage is now a common sight on major highways, in markets, and even at the doorsteps of hospitals and schools.
Open burning of waste releases toxic fumes, and blocked drainage channels have created stagnant pools turning entire communities into breeding hubs for disease vectors.
“This is no longer just a sanitation problem, it is a public health emergency,”
A local health expert (name withheld for safety)
According to the health expert, recent clinic reports show up to 60% of outpatient cases in some slum clinics are related to diarrhea, typhoid, and malaria, illnesses linked to poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water.
More than 40% of waste generated daily in Monrovia goes uncollected, according to city waste monitoring estimates.
Open defecation remains widespread in informal settlements.
Waste fires release toxic smoke that contains carcinogenic fumes, heavy metals, and microplastics.
Children are seen playing barefoot in dumpsites, while elderly residents now live surrounded by filth.
“Rats are the new landlords here,” said a resident of West Point community.
“We wake up every morning with smoke in our houses and garbage at our doors”, they further narrated.
Health workers report clinics are overwhelmed with preventable illnesses due to unsafe water and waste exposure.
Environmental advocate Tennie Jallah issued a strong call to action, demanding an immediate inter-agency response involving:
Emergency cleanup in high-risk slum communities
Daily waste collection and expanded service
access, Government funding for low-income sanitation programs,
Stricter enforcement of environmental health laws and
Public awareness campaigns on sanitation and disease prevention
“This is not just about trash,” It’s about health, safety, dignity, and the future of Liberia’s capital city”, Jallah reemphasized.
He warned that without decisive action, Liberia risks facing avoidable outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and vector-borne diseases.
Stakeholders warn that the sanitation crisis is not just a local embarrassment but a national image problem.
“Monrovia must not become a symbol of abandonment,” Community leader and resident activist.
International investors and development partners are reportedly concerned about the visible environmental decay and the absence of sustained government response.
“Clean cities attract investment; dirty cities repel opportunity. The world is watching,”
Local business owner in Sinkor said.
They stated thag the choice is now, Either Monrovia confronts this crisis with strong political will or the capital collapses under its own waste.
