The Senior Environmental Inspector of the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) in Margibi County warns the public to refrain from putting chemical in rivers to kill fish in the county.
Ms. Victoria M. Jones says the EPA office in Margibi County has observed that people mainly during the dry season put chemicals in the rivers to kill fish thereby killing other marine species that are very important to human survival.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Liberia News Agency in Kakata, Ms. Jones further warns that if these dangerous fishing habits continue to be carried out, it will cause serious environmental degradation.“Even the fish and its eggs the chemical will kill is also very poisonous for human consumption and should stop the usage of these chemicals that they themselves don’t know how to handle”, she further warned.
She also notes those that are in the habit of burning trees openly should also stop because burning as a whole is not good for the environment because it creates a serious health hazard and also has an effect to the climate change.
According to her, the constant habit by people filling in wetland and swamps for construction purposes should also stop because they serve as carbon sink and other aquatic species live there, adding, “and nature never forgives as when you block the pathway of the water tomorrow, the flood will drive you away from your own home.”Margibi County is prone to many natural disasters especially, during rainy season in Liberia with flood being the main one.
Each year in the county, various communities are greatly affected from floods thus, rendering residents homeless and causing them to seek shelter in school buildings and open areas as well as blocking major roads, including the Roberts International Airport and other ones.
“The environment is all we have, let us learn to keep it clean, protected and green for our future generation”, she urges.Ms. Victoria M. Jones, Senior Environmental Inspector, Margibi County
