MONROVIA – As the rainy season intensifies in Liberia, residents of Kpallah Town in Brewerville City, outside Monrovia have alarmed over the threat an old cotton tree which has been standing in the area for over 100 years, poses to their lives and properties.
The town is located in electoral district # 17, Montserrado County.
The residents, mostly elderly and local leaders, claimed that the giant-size cotton tree has outlived its usefulness, and as such, it is now time that it should be cut down.
They claimed that they are currently living in fear, because branches of the cotton tree continue to fall one after another on a regular basis.
The residents call comes a little over a year after one of the cotton trees fell on April 3, 2019, killing a minor and injuring about eight other persons.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FrontPageAfrica on Saturday, August 1, one of the elders of Kpallah Town, Mr. Abu Sarnoh, disclosed that the town remains an ancestral are which was surrounded by numerous cotton trees
“We met more than 18 cotton trees here and they started to fall by themselves one by one. In 2001- when we went preparing a school we had to cut three of them down to make planks for the school for the children”.
Previous Tragedy
On April 3, 2019, one of the giant-size cotton trees in the town fell, killing a three-year-old child, injuring additional eight persons, and destroying properties worth thousands of United States dollars.
Mr. Sarnoh disclosed that the tragic happening claimed the attention of the district Representative Hanson Kiazolu and officials of the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC) of the Liberian government.
He added that though steps were taken by some government officials to help transport and pay the medical bills of those injured, nothing was done to find a permanent solution to the situation, despite concerns raised by residents over the existence and threats the remaining cotton trees in the town pose to them.
“The Representative and others came and transported most of the people that were injured. Today, we still have two persons here that are seriously injured. Their bones have not been restored”
“We took them to herbalists to get their bones back in place; apparently, most of them had to leave because they couldn’t stay any longer to where they been for a long time”.
Mr. Sarnoh continued: “People who came to help us are requesting for money to cut down this side. They advised us that no construction should go on this side. But three weeks ago, another side of the tree came down all by itself-as you can see the branches over there”.
The embarrassment and fear factors
Mr. Sarnoh termed the existence of the cotton tree in the town as “embarrassing”.
“We are always afraid to go somewhere when the children are around because; this cotton tree can break at any time. During the 1990 war, ECOMOG launched rocket on this cotton tree and so, it might have had effect on the whole weight”
He noted that parents cannot stay longer hours to visit friends, relatives or go other areas due to the aging nature of the cotton tree that has outlived its usefulness.
Mr. Sarnoh indicated that elderly residents, who normally sit on their front porches to ‘catch cool breeze’ can no longer do so as a result of the situation.
He pointed out residents are usually compelled to seek refuge elsewhere during a storm for fear that the cotton could fall in the town.
“The fear now is-the way the weight is on this side-where houses are, we have our children and this is the only cool area where they can come and sit during the hot days,” Abu Sarnoh noted.
He added: “Right now as it is raining small, small-when heavy breeze or storm starts to come, everybody will run outside trying to seek refuge somewhere. No matter how late is it in the night, we have to find areas outside of our homes. So, this cotton tree is really a threat”.
“My older sister got wounded when the first cotton tree fell and up to now, her hand is paralyzed and it can’t pick up anything. She is very scared to live in the town right now. If you even knock bucket beside her now, she will have that fear,” Town Chief Armadu Sarnoh disclosed.
Authorities aware
Mr. Sarnoh disclosed that the district’s Representative Hanson Kiazolu and officials of the National Disaster Management Commission are aware of pleas made by citizens for the chopping down of the remaining cotton trees in the town.
“The very day the cotton tree dropped they were all present; they made financial presentation, but it couldn’t solve the problem. They started to project means to see whether the other cotton tree could be taken down. The NDMC was here too; but since they left, that’s it”.
“The first time the Representative, Senator, Minister and other people came; they said they were coming back, up to now, they have not come. I want the government to come in”, 83-year old Mr. Zuannah Sarnor, who claimed that he was born in the town stated.
Plea to government
Despite the numerous financial constraints, the residents of the town are calling on government to intervene to avoid human casualty or the loss of valuable properties.
“We have to call on government because even if we have to call someone to come and help us bring it down, government must be notified-because in case of any eventuality, government will say, ‘why didn’t you people tell us’ we could have find another means to bring it down. This is our cry now to government” Mr. Sarnoh stated.
He noted that circumstances would erupt, including homelessness, if nothing is done in a timely manner to guarantee the safety of residents of the town.
The historicity
“My father was born 1911 and he met the cotton trees here. He told me that during the course of the Dey and Bassa war in the 1800s; this was the area where the fighters were being kept. No war entered here because the place was secured for them” Abu Sarnoh pointed out.
He furthered: “They planted the cotton trees like a fence; about 18 of them-but only two are standing right now in the town”