Monrovia – The British charity WaterAid has launched a sanitation project aimed at addressing issues of solid waste management in Greater Monrovia and environs.
Garbage situation in Greater Monrovia is alarming, resulting to the need for stakeholders to jointly develop and strengthen a comprehensive solid waste management strategy for Greater Monrovia.
The Sanitation Project is intended to support Greater Monrovia for the Development of a Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Strategy.
Speaking Thursday at the official launch of the Project, WaterAid Regional Director, Mariame Dem stressed the need for collaborative efforts in addressing sanitation challenges in Montserrado County.
Madam Dem called on stakeholders to put into practice lessons learned from other countries to improve Solid Waste Management in Liberia.
Also Speaking, World Bank Liberia Operations Officer, Ester Rojas-Garcia called on stakeholders and government to ensure that a sustainable framework is developed for solid waste management.
She urged solid waste stakeholders and government to put in place financial strategies to aid the country when donors leave.
Speaking earlier, the Program Director of Cities Alliance, Vijay Parmor said if Liberia fails to develop a solid waste management framework, it could create the challenge for the nation.
He noted that Paynesville City Corporation and the Monrovia City Corporation have a herculean task in tackling solid waste issues.
Parmor disclosed that his organization will work with WaterAid to develop the capacity of Community-Based Enterprises in collecting waste in Greater Monrovia.
He also said sanitation issues can be properly handled through the capacity building of Community-Based Enterprises.
official launch of the Solid Waste Management Project at the Mamba Point Hotel in Monrovia
For their part, panelists the launch called for more technical and logistical support when it comes to solid waste management in Liberia.
Making remarks, the President of the National Waste Management Association of Liberia, Jefferson Nyandibo disclosed that in order to improve solid waste management in Liberia there should be a review of existing policy on waste management.
Also in remarks, Robena Vincent and Abraham Garneo of the Paynesville City Corporation and Monrovia City Corporation respectively noted that new innovations should be adopted in solid waste management in Montserrado County.
The Project named and style Supporting Greater Monrovia for the Development of a Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Strategy will focus on the developing framework to tackle the issues of waste management.
The project is designed partly based on critical findings of an Urban Scoping Study commissioned by WaterAid in 2017.
The Study identified four critical areas ranging from the lack of a regulatory leader and robust sector-driven approach, disproportionate investment in WASH components, limited community engagement weak monitoring and evaluation systems.
The proposed Project by WaterAid identifies the need to invest in urban waste management due to the demand, current gaps analysis, and the identification tools for change needed to unlock challenges in achieving urban WASH targets.