By Reagan S. Lebbie
IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-2 March 2018: Community residents living in close proximity to the Gobachop Market in Paynesville are disenchanted and disappointment in the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) for not doing anything to remove the huge pile of garbage in the area.
The garbage, reportedly neglected for the last five months, is posing serious health threats to residents and marketers in the market. There are even reports of dead babies being buried under the ton of the garbage, with pungent and oozing odor.
In an interview conducted with some of the market women, they expressed dismay in the PPC for totally disregarding and sanitation public health.
Ma Maria Mulbah and Esther Yadimah, who sell kola nuts at the Gobachop Market, expressed the unprecedented lifestyle and poor condition of market women in the field in Gorbachop Market.
“We are eating, drinking and breastfeeding our babies in the same ugly environment and we are getting sick every day,” one of the market women lamented.
Esther and Ma Maria spoke to Independent Probe saying they have been talking to the Paynesville City Corporation and Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) for the removal of the garbage.
Esther Yadimah further indicated that the LMA has been collecting L$20.00 every day from each table in the market with heavy garbage piled up for more than five months and nobody has come for their rescue.
Responding to the market women`s allegation, Macline B. Jallah, Operation Superintendent of Liberia Marketing Association in Gobachop Market indicated that PCC was allegedly given L$250,000.00 for the removal of the garbage from the market.
He also alleged that junkies (zogos) from various communities nearby have been the problem to the LMA, saying they bring dirt from different communities to the market environment because the Government of Liberia has failed to create dumpsite for citizens.
Speaking further, Superintendent Jallah said that the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) has no equipment to carry on the cleaning like the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) which is causing serious problem for the entire Paynesville City.
He also used the occasion to call on the government to speedily empower the PCC for smooth working environment and good living condition of our marketers.
Also for her part, the chairperson of the Petty Trader Union in Red Light, Grace T. Winker said community dwellers do not have a dumpsite so they give their dirt to the junkies to dump for them on the road in Red Light.
She added that the LMA should see reason to control their dirt because it is causing serious problem for them.
Meanwhile, when an official of PCC was contacted at the office, she refused to comment on the issue but rather referred the reporter to the director of public relations who was not even in his office.
Felicia Mensah, sanitation manager also refused to provide details including the contact number of the director of the public relations office.
