IPNEWS-Monrovia: The Liberian capital, Monrovia and its environs have been hit with massive flooding in recent days due to heavy down-pour of rain, since last week Friday.
Almost every street in the capital city and surrounding suburb communities have tasted the heavy flooding in recent days.
In several communities in and around Monrovia, as well as on the suburbs and other environs, many people homes were flooded as well, leaving a disastrous situation for many community dwellers. In some instances properties were damaged, while some vehicles that could not withstand the massive flooding got damaged by water entering their engines, among other things.
Genesis of Flooding
Road engineers have told IPNEWS that the root cause of the flooding in Monrovia and its environs is due to the blocking of drainages and waterways in the city and its suburbs. Residents in the city and its environs have not helped in anyways to prevent the blocking of drainages, as most residents dump dirt and garbage into drainages along the streets.
The Ministry of Public Works has not been able to prevent people from dumping dirt and garbage into drainages, and also to stop residents from blocking waterways, either through constructions or deliberate dumping of garbage.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has on numerous occasions created awareness for residents to avoid blocking waterways in order to prevent disaster. According an EPA expert, when the waterways are blocked, the water has the tendency of finding its own way into places where is should not be passing naturally, but blocking its paths leads it to finding an alternative route, which results to flooding.
Affected Communities
Almost every street in central Monrovia, communities on the Bushrod Island, Sinkor, Roberts International Airport highway community, Doe Community on Bushrod Island, communities along the Japanese Highway, and many other communities have experienced the massive flooding in recent days.
Way Forward
Affected Liberians and the public in general have called on the Ministry of Public Works to begin to put in remedy to prevent the flooding that has devastated some communities in Monrovia and its environs.
At the same time, environment specialists and road civil engineers have urged community dwellers to desist from blocking drainages, constructing in waterways and dumping garbage in sewer lines to avoid blockage of free flow of water during heavy down pours.
