August meetup in Monrovia
One of the biggest problems facing Monrovia is poor waste management. The main reasons behind this problem are inadequate legislation, weak enforcement, lack of appropriate technologies and the lack of an effective mechanism to coordinate stakeholders.
The meetup in Monrovia on Barnes Beach discussed the topic “The challenges facing waste management in Monrovia”.
More than a decade of civil conflict resulted in the destruction of basic infrastructure including waste management services. The population in Monrovia has also quadruple and crowding is now a contributing factor to the generation of waste.
In the absence of a proper waste collection and disposal systems, solid waste is currently disposed of in sensitive ecological zones such as wetlands. There is also a frequent build-up and open burning of waste in Monrovia. The Monrovia City Corporation has declared the first Saturday of each month as general cleaning up day but the garbage continue to pile up in the streets. The officially designated waste disposal site currently is Wein Town, a residential area about 10 kilometers from the city center. Participants observed that the space available for the waste disposal is increasingly limited.
The disposal of hospital waste poses a special challenge for Monrovia. Some of the established health centers in Monrovia include St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, John F. Kennedy Medical Center and the Redemption Hospital.
Participants recommended that the Monrovia City Corporation revisits its waste management system to ensure that major stakeholders are involved in the decision-making. The participants also recommended the levy of penalties on violators of the city ordinances and that such penalties be enforced to the letter.
