IPNews-Monrovia: The Environment Protection Agency-EPA, says continuous devastation of wetlands is posing imminent danger to Liberia’s territorial survival.

EPA Director-General Nathaniel T. Blama, stated that unless urgent national action is take, Monrovia may be submerge if there is sea eruption.

The environmental expert stated that research has shown that Monrovia laid below sea level and the continuous construction, dumping and plastic infestation into various mangrove sumps across Monrovia and its environs.

He told crowds of community residence in the Kpalle town and its surroundings, including bystanders that there must be an urgent national action to ensure Liberians and foreigner alike ahead to environmental laws and standards.

Blama stated that continuous dumping of waste, construction in wetlands and infestation of plastic and other harmful elements into waterways and wetlands is counterproductive to the survival of the nation-state and its eco-system, including marine species.

He said ‘wetlands are not waste lands that should be mistreated, but an important component in biodiversity which protects the environment and its attending bodies.

Speaking hours ago when he delivered a special statement on the celebration of ‘World Wetlands Day 2020’, currently taking place at the Bethesda A.G. School, along the S.K.D. Bolverd, the EPA strong-man stated that EPA and its partners are collectively collaborating in raising the necessary awareness on the dangers and advantages of protecting wetlands, yet, there remains huge challenges in ensuring the environment and Liberia in particular remain safe.

Nathaniel Blama stated that decision to continually ensure the protection of the environment and avoid dumping waste or construction in waterways and wetlands is a collective national action, if the wetlands must absorb the shock of ocean eruption due to Liberia’s current situation below sea level.

It may be recalled, the Government of Liberia resolved in 2019, to evacuate thousands of residents from the township of West Point amidst imminent threats of Sea erosion.

West Point is a township (the administrative equivalent of a city ward) of the Liberian capital city of Monrovia, located on a peninsula which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean between the Mesurado and Saint Paul rivers. Home to approximately 75,000 people, West Point is one of Monrovia’s most densely populated slums.

At a meeting attended by representatives of line Government of Liberia ministries and agencies including National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), and the Ministry of Public Works, EPA Dr. Blama said that the decision for residents to relocate from West Point was necessary to avert lives being lost by the imminent danger posed by the sea.

He noted that a team comprising representatives of the Ministry of Public Works, NDMA and the EPA immediately began a mapping exercise in the township to determine red and green zones.

Additionally, it may be recalled, in the early hours of August 18, 2017, two separate earthquake measuring 6.8 on the ‘Richter scale’ occurred approximately 880 kilometers off the coast of Liberia.

The Government of Liberia, though the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) announced that a second instance, also took place in the afternoon of that same day.

Although the incident then posed no immediate threat of a tsunami occurring, Liberian geologist, Dr. Eugene Shannon, said the earthquake is nothing to be worried about because it is so far away.

“It occurred along the Mid-Atlantic ridge,” he said, noting that the earthquake occurred far away enough to not be a threat to Liberia.

The reality is, there are literally dozens of earthquakes occurring along the Mid-Atlantic ridge with proximity to Liberia, the US Geological Survey shows.

On the same day, the US. Geological service stated that the earthquake is the 5th closest occurring off the coast of Liberia, but has the highest magnitude (6.6, according to USGS) among the closest.  Also, five of the closest seven earthquakes offshore Liberia occurred in 2016 alone.  The following earthquakes were recorded by USGS, in order of proximity (closest first):

• April 14, 2016, at 16:44:33, 5.2 magnitude
• July 4, 2016, at 10:52:52, 4.9 magnitude 
• December 12, 2016, at 20:53:46, 4.7 magnitude 
• November 5, 2015, at 03:19:27, 4.2 magnitude
• August 18, 2017, at 02:59:21, 6.6 magnitude
• September 14, 2016, at 09:18:25, 4.8 magnitude  
• August 20, 2016, at 20:11:43, 4.6 magnitude

Apart from these seven, at least another 22 earthquakes have occurred offshore Liberia in the same vicinity, all taking place as early as 2015. The second earthquake today in the same vicinity, at 4.8 magnitude, which occurred this afternoon at 15:35:55 (3:35 p.m.), is the ninth in proximity to Liberia.