By: Elijah Easter Kaykay
A Jaadeh TV investigation has uncovered a deepening health and environmental nightmare gripping communities along the Newcess River in Grand Bassa County, where a contaminated wastewater pond on the Liberian Agricultural Company (LAC) rubber plantation is unleashing toxic runoff into vital waterways.
Residents in Wee Statutory District and beyond are pleading for urgent intervention from national authorities, decrying years of ignored complaints as the crisis escalates amid the rainy season’s downpours.
The stagnant pond, riddled with eutrophication from decades of agricultural chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers since LAC’s operations began in 1959, now teems with dense pinkish-red algal blooms and foam-like scum. Cyanobacteria—potentially species like Anabaena or Microcystis—flourish in the oxygen-starved waters, releasing cyanotoxins that trigger skin rashes, diarrhea, neurotoxic effects, and gastrointestinal woes.
This polluted brew spills via a narrow creek into the Newcess River, the lifeblood for drinking, bathing, cooking, and fishing in District #3A, Nekreen Statutory District, and Buchanan City, endangering thousands in a county of roughly 293,557 souls across 3,064 square miles.
Communities report a surge in mosquito breeding and disease-carrying insects, fueling outbreaks of skin infections, diarrhea, and other ailments that hit children and the elderly hardest.
“This water is not safe,” lamented one Tokoe Town resident, a fisherman whose family relies on the river.
“If you stay in it even briefly, your skin starts to itch. We’re constantly sick—children, old people, everyone.
And the smell alone is unbearable.” The downstream flow amplifies the threat, with waterborne illnesses like cholera and dysentery on the rise, alongside long-term risks of developmental and reproductive harm from heavy metals and nitrates.
Madam Morris, a community elder, captured the frustration of repeated outreach efforts gone unanswered: “We have written letters, held meetings, reached out to local leaders, but nothing has been done.
It feels like we’ve been abandoned.” A youth leader echoed the sentiment, his voice rising in defiance:
“This is harming us. It’s about our lives. It’s about whether we matter. We can’t keep living in danger and sickness while a big company profits next door.”
LAC’s troubled legacy—marked by land disputes and evictions since 2005—has only deepened distrust, with accusations of sidelined environmental protections.
Despite pleas, no meaningful steps have come from the company, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or the Ministry of Health. Environmental advocates frame this as a stark example of Liberia’s environmental injustice and unchecked corporate influence, where economic gains eclipse community survival.
As heavy rains swell the river and worsen stagnation, affected residents are issuing a direct national SOS.
They urge the EPA to launch immediate water quality assessments for pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, heavy metals, and cyanotoxins; demand LAC erect barriers, install aerators, and revamp the spillway to curb untreated discharges; and call on the Ministry of Health to monitor health impacts.
Key figures including Representative Alfred H. Flomo, Senators Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, and Gbehzohngar Milton Findley are implored to champion the cause, alongside local chiefs in District #3A.
Madam Rhoda Garkpee, a mother from the riverbanks, summed up the raw urgency: “We are not animals. We are citizens of this country.
The company met us here. We deserve clean water, fresh air, and respect for our lives.” For families in waterlogged, illness-plagued homes, every day is a fight for dignity.
Will the government heed their cry, transforming this polluted pond from a badge of neglect into a beacon of accountability and justice for Grand Bassa’s forgotten voices?
