On the day of presenting his first quarterly report for 2025, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo, formally informed swampland (wetland) dwellers of a planned massive demolition exercise.
Speaking at a news conference held Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the EPA in Sinkor, Monrovia, the EPA boss notified all individuals, communities, institutions, and business entities constructing, residing, operating, or otherwise engaging in activities within the Montserrado Wetland of the pending exercise slated for April 15, 2025.
He disclosed that areas to be affected during the exercise include, but are not limited to Tyler Island and areas along SKD Boulevard, and Jacob Town Community. “It has come to the EPA’s attention through verified inspection and satellite assessments that there has been ongoing, unauthorized backfilling, alteration, construction, and settlement expansion within this wetland ecosystem,” asserted Dr. Yarkpawolo.
The acts and activities of wetland dwellers, he pointed out, constitute a direct and willful violation of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia, and international obligations under the RAMSAR Convention of which Liberia is a Party.
These acts, according to him, have caused ecological harm, including the destruction of mangroves and aquatic habitats vital for biodiversity, obstruction of natural waterways and floodplains, increasing urban flood risk for Greater Monrovia and degradation of a designated RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance, threatening Liberia’s compliance to the Convention.
Despite repeated warnings and engagement efforts by authorized environmental inspectors, EPA boss Yarkpawolo indicated that these violations have persisted.
Therefore, in reliance of Sections 6, 74, and 75 of the EPML and under Liberia’s obligations under the RAMSAR Convention, the EPA head declared the immediate halt of all activities within the affected wetland areas, and evacuation of persons and removal of materials within five working days upon receipt and hearing of this notice.
“The Public is hereby informed, especially those likely to be affected, that a scheduled demolition operation will commence on April 16, 2025, in joint coordination with the Liberia National Police, the Ministry of Public Works, the Paynesville City Corporation, The Ministry of Justice, and other government institutions,” furthered the EPA head.
He warned that failure to comply will result in enforcement measures including demolition, removal of unauthorized structures, fines, and potential legal prosecution under the EPML and related statutes.
“The EPA reaffirms its mandate to uphold environmental integrity and protect the rights of all Liberians to a clean, healthy, and ecologically balanced environment. The preservation of wetlands is a critical part of Liberia’s climate resilience strategy and disaster risk reduction efforts.”
At the same time, he reported that the EPA has concluded a follow-up investigation at the Sethi Ferro Fabrik Steel Factory, located at the Old LPRC Road Industrial Park. The visit, he noted, aimed to assess the facility’s compliance with safety recommendations we made following the tragic explosion on February 17, 2025, which claimed the life of one staff of the company.
“The reassessment revealed that the factory has taken significant steps to address the EPA’s initial recommendations, particularly in improving occupational safety protocols, labeling of compressed gas tanks, and some environmental management practices.”
Also, he informed the general public, especially residents of Congo Town, that the EPA is actively addressing environmental and public health risks associated with generator operations at the Lonestar Cell.
It can be recalled that following a complaint and subsequent investigation, it was confirmed that the generator operations are producing excessive noise and emissions that directly affect nearby residents.
Predicated upon this, Dr. Yarkpawolo disclosed that the EPA has issued a Final Compliance Notice to Lonestar Cell MTN, mandating the installation of effective silencers on all operational generators and or relocation of generator units away from residential boundaries that minimize noise and emission pollution to acceptable levels.
The EPA has also mandated that LoneStar Cell MTN to raise its exhaust stacks to a minimum of 25 feet and provide earplugs for operators and security staff.
Amongst other things, he reported that the EPA concluded a comprehensive investigation into allegations of water pollution and environmental degradation in Masakpa Community, Tewor District, Grand Cape Mount County.
The probe followed a formal complaint submitted by community residents on March 20, 2025, accusing Bea Mountain Mining Company (BMMC) of contaminating the Masakpa-Matambo River through ongoing blasting and mining activities.
The Masakpa-Matambo River has long served as a critical source of clean drinking water, fishing, and irrigation for residents. Community members claimed that blasting and mining have significantly altered the river’s condition—leaving it turbid or muddy, unsafe, and environmentally destructive. Reports of skin rashes, diarrhea, and retarded crop growth have further raised public health alarms.
In response, the EPA dispatched a team of technicians on March 21, 2025, to collect samples, engage stakeholders, and assess the environmental conditions of the river.
Accordingly, Dr. Yarkpawolo asserted in his report that laboratory tests confirmed high turbidity, arsenic, and total solids in the river, caused by combined upstream activities including sand mining, artisanal activities, and BMMC’s operations. However, he said levels of mercury and cyanide remain as low as they were before mining operations began in the area.
