Thousands of community dwellers in Fiamah and its adjacent communities are living under hazardous conditions with little relief in sight. For these residents, daily life is defined by challenges that threaten their health, dignity, and future.
By: Kruah Thompson
Monrovia, August 7, 2025: On the bustling western edge of Monrovia lies Fiamah, a community that has long balanced the vibrancy of urban life with the quiet beauty of its surrounding wetlands. Yet, beneath this veneer of normalcy, a stark environmental crisis has been festering.
The NewDawn’s recent investigative efforts have brought to light significant pollution issues linked directly to the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation’s (LWSC) dilapidated Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Fiamah Sinkor. The findings paint a troubling picture of environmental neglect, public health threats, and institutional apathy.
Established more than a decade ago, the Fiamah STP was once heralded as a critical infrastructural development to safeguard Monrovia’s waste and manage the city’s rapidly growing population. Its mandate was clear: to collect, treat, and safely discharge waste, thereby protecting residents and the environment from harmful contaminants. However, years of underinvestment, inadequate maintenance, and bureaucratic neglect have left the plant in a state of severe disrepair.
The NewDawn’s on-the-ground investigations have found that the Fiamah STP, rather than serving as a bulwark against pollution, has become a source of it. The crumbling infrastructure and malfunctioning filtration systems have led to sewage leaking directly into the wetlands and waterways. The telltale signs—pungent odors, discolored water, and floating debris—are evident to residents and passersby alike.
The pollution is not confined to a single area. Wastewater from the plant seeps into adjacent neighborhoods, contaminating soil and groundwater. During the rainy season, flooding exacerbates the situation as untreated sewage is washed further afield, polluting streets, yards, and local markets.
Information gathered by The NewDawn suggests that Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), a government institution, is allegedly collecting fees from commercial vacuum truck operators in exchange for allowing them to discharge untreated sewage (also known as raw sewage or pupu water) into a constructed open lagoon (ponds) ease of their treatment facility in Sinkor.
The pond is connected to a stream running through an extensive swamp area from the Airfield to the 12th Street vicinity. This stream flows from Lakpazee and Wroto Town, passing between Fiamah and Matadi, an area currently experiencing rapid human settlement.
This potentially hazardous practice is said to be affecting residents living in the northern and eastern corners of the dilapidated LWSC Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), in Fiamah Sinkor. The facility has remained dilapidated and non-operational for more than 20 years
In many cases, the truck drivers carelessly spill the sewage along the roads, putting pedestrians and frequent passersby in direct contact with the waste
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During the rainy season, the untreated waste is visibly mixed with rainwater flowing directly into nearby homes, and sometimes overland or seeps through the community during heavy rainfall. To date, the ponds continue to receive raw sewage from vacuum trucks daily.
According to inside sources, each truck reportedly pays no less than USD 30 per discharge, with an estimated 19 to 20 trucks making multiple dumps daily. Any truck exceeding this number of dumps is required to pay an additional equivalent amount at the LWSC administrative building on Water Street.
Following these payments, the vacuum truck operators are allowed to discharge untreated waste, polluting the nearby communities, including Kpelleh Town, Dodoville, and Bostown, respectively.
The practice reportedly began under the Weah administration when truck drivers were charged $15 per dump at the security booth, where their names were recorded for monthly evaluation.
Under the current Managing Director, Mo Ali, all commercial truck drivers have been required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the LWSC, agreeing to pay USD $30 per discharge, a process now closely monitored under strict administrative supervision.
One of the vacuum truck drivers, who asked not to be named, confirmed to our reporters in a phone call interview that the information is accurate and that they are indeed doing business with LWSC.
He said some of his colleagues don’t always manage the waste properly by tightening the bolt holds, and as a result, it often leaks while on their way to dump the waste.
“I will talk to you, but I don’t want my name mentioned because I’m working for someone else, and it might look like I’m spoiling their business. I’m a driver, and we usually dump the waste in the Water and Sewer yard. But sometimes, some of the guys don’t do a proper job, they don’t tighten the bolt holds, and as a result, the sewage leaks out, even the LWSC Pupu truck can do the same thing.”
“But what can I do? I just see it and pass. There are people responsible for stopping them. For example, if I tell someone what they’re doing is wrong, they’ll say I like to cause confusion or that I’m trying to act like a government official. So, I just pass and mind my business.”
The situation is reportedly creating unsanitary conditions, primarily affecting residents in the surrounding areas.
In an interview with residents, the surrounding community reported a persistent foul odor, skin infections, malaria outbreaks, and suspected water contamination, conditions they believe are linked to the dumping activities.
“The smell is constant. We are suffering here. We only want the government to please relocate the two facilities that are polluting the community. It’s unsafe for the over 600 to 700 houses that are located here. When the rain falls, you’ll see ‘pupu’ (feces) floating on the water. It even enters our houses at times,” James F. Cooper, a member of the Elder Council representing the three affected communities, told our reporter.
He appealed to the government to come to their aid and find a new location for the sewage facility, as their condition continues to worsen.
“You see, we can put sandbags in front of our houses, to stop water from entering our houses. During heavy rainfall, this place gets flooded,” he said, pointing at the bags lying on top of each other in front of his house. He further noted that sometimes water still enters their houses.
Under the Weah administration, Duana Kamara reportedly threatened to remove the surrounding residents, claiming that LWSC owned the community, but due to the intervention of the late Representative Mylnoh Pennoh Youngblood, the residents gained a little status.
Since the late Pennoh intervention, Mr. Cooper told The New Dawn that the community leaders have reached out to the LWSC administration, even Managing Director Mo Ali, to discuss the situation, but the response has remained the same: Ali was allegedly quoted as saying, “They never asked us to live there.”
He revealed that some residents working with LWSC are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs.
Also, Annie Kollie, a resident, expressed her frustration: “We smell it every day. When it rains, the waste flows through the alleys and into our homes. Our children are constantly sick with rashes and diarrhea, but no one from the government ever comes here to explain anything.”
According to her, on July 26th, the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), which also operates a primary dumpsite in the heart of the community, held a party where community leaders were invited. But as she put it, nothing ever changes.” “We need help, my son,” another resident added.”
Despite repeated complaints from residents, government agencies have remained largely silent.
This paper spoke with some health workers in the surrounding area, and while some believe the illnesses may be linked to the situation, others say it could also be due to the fact that many residents drink from hand pumps and wells, which are not safe.
Phere M. Beangar at the God’s Grace Medicine Store confirmed that they are unsure whether some of the cases are linked to the situation.”
“I sometimes receive patients with illnesses such as typhoid, skin infections, cholera, malaria, and fever.”
According to him, some customers simply buy medicine and treat themselves at home. ‘I can’t say for sure whether their illnesses are linked to what you’re talking about,’ noted Phere M. Beangar, a health worker at the God’s Grace Medicine Store.
According to the World Health Organization’s guidelines, the air quality in Liberia is considered moderately unsafe.
Although data on air quality in Liberia is limited, the WHO guidelines indicate that Air pollution is the single most significant contributor to the adverse health effects in Liberia, causing an estimated 3,900 premature deaths every year.
Equally important, the practices of indiscriminate dumping of waste serve as a conduit for the spread of disease and pose a serious threat to public health in the country.
Liberia has a strict law specifically addressing the well-being of citizens regarding pollution and environmental quality. This is enshrined in the Health Act and the Environmental Protection and Management Law (EPML) of Liberia, enacted in 2002 (effective 2003).
The law was enacted to set standards for Environmental quality in Liberia. However, despite the existence of this, nothing has changed; the country still faces a major environmental pollution crisis, serving as a conduit for the spread of disease. It poses a serious threat to public health in the country.
Sources within LWSC told The NewDawn that during the Ebola crisis, the Fiamah facility was used by LWSC, UNMIL, and other private sewer operators. It was also used to transfer Ebola-contaminated liquid waste from various ETUs centers.
On April 12, 2017, during the launch of the US$10 million Liberia Urban Water Supply Parent Project with an additional US$20 million in financing from the World Bank to support urgent repairs to the 36” main waterline transporting water from the White Plains Water Treatment Plant public health authorities at the time warned that, due to the nonfunctional state of the Fiamah Treatment Plant, wastewater volumes would rise. As a result, large sections of Liberia’s population would be dangerously exposed to unsafe water and sanitation, posing a serious threat to national public health standards.
Despite this warning, no mechanisms have been put in place to address the concerns raised. Now the current situation is affecting communities, whose well-being continues to be threatened daily.
Importantly, this practice is a clear violation of Section 62 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia, which addresses the protection of public health and the environment. In addition, Section 59 of the same law explicitly states:
“No person shall discard, dump, or leave any litter on any land, coastal zone, or water surface, street, road, or site in or on any place to which the public has access, except in a container or at a place which has been specially indicated, provided, or set apart for such purpose. Every person or authority in control of or responsible for the maintenance of any place to which the public has access shall at all times ensure that containers or places are provided which will normally be adequate.”
It further states: “A person who discharges, discards, dumps or leaves any litter on any land, coastal zone or water surface, street, road or site or in or on any place in the environment contrary to subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding US $5,000 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both. Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section shall be required to undertake community service and clean up the litter using the best available methods, taking precautions to protect human health and the environment.”
Despite the legal implications and ongoing health risks, the situation remains unresolved
When contacted via WhatsApp for comment, LWSC Managing Director Mo Ali did not provide a formal response, but rather stated: “LOL. Do you have any idea who is responsible for receiving sewage from commercial sewer trucks? Do you think it is free to treat the sewage LWSC gets from commercial sewage operators? Tell me, what exactly do you want? Because I’m not sure this is the real thing you want to talk about. Do you know the functions of LWSC? I would appreciate it if next time you did your investigation to uncover,’ you would also read the Act that established LWSC. Have a great day.”
When questioned about the reported violation of Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law, he simply responded, “Okay,” offering no further comment.
While it’s plausible that fees collected from commercial truck operators are backed by the Act that established LWSC, the ongoing discharge of untreated waste suggests either a serious capacity shortfall or potential misuse of those funds.
Admittedly, sewage treatment is costly but neglecting it comes with far greater consequences. The environmental and public health toll is now being borne by the very communities most affected by this pollution.
The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation’s failure to enforce treatment protocols not only breaches its institutional duty but also stands in direct violation of Section 62 and Section 59 of the national environmental law, which strictly forbids the release of hazardous waste into the environment without proper treatment and oversight.
In a brief phone call and WhatsApp interview, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said he was attending an official function after a set of questions and images were sent to him.
He promised to return the call. Weeks later, he has yet to follow up and remains unresponsive to repeated phone calls and WhatsApp messages. Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
