Monrovia – Residents on Chessman Avenue, between 17 to 18 Streets in Sinkor, Monrovia will continuously have sleepless nights whenever there is a divulge – the main drainage has been built upon blocking the waterway.
The building the drainage is reportedly owned by one Ousman Sesay.
Residents in the area say for the past two years, they have constantly suffered heavy flooding.
A tour FrontPageAfrica in the area observed that portion of the three-storey building on 18th has blocked the free flow of the water, thereby causing water to enter into houses as far as 17th Street and beyond.
The building is right over the drainage that carries the water from up on Tubman Boulevard down to the swamp between 17th and 18th street on Cheeseman Avenue and is damaging the properties of residents in that part of Sinkor.
Appeals to the Ministry of Public works to rescue the situation has yielded no positive result, residents of the area say.
Sasay, the owner of the building, could be reached for comments. One of the contractors working on the building told this reporter that Sasay was resting and could not meet with anyone at that moment.
Felecia Kpah, a mother of three and a resident on 18th Street told FrontPageAfrica they do not sleep at night whenever the rain falls.
“The water is not passing because the man built his building over the drainage. When the water comes with force, no way for the water to pass it can enter our rooms. We cannot sleep; our feet can be in the water until it is the day. We can put our things in the ceiling, we got a ladder and so we can just climb and put our things there,” Felecia Kpah said.
Water Never Used to Go into Our Houses
Oretha McClain, mother of five, lives just a stone throw from the drainage. She said the drainage is small to contain the flow of water – a situation that has been compounded by the structure that now sits on it.
Madam McClain had lived on 18 Street Sinkor all her live, she said. She said, prior to the construction of the building; there has never been a flood in that part of Sinkor until the construction began.
The Man Can Brides Public Work People
Another victim, Madam Mary David, a mother of three said in February they protested to call the attention of the government. All of that could not yield any fruits, she said.
“Everything we did – we protested, the police people came, the Public Work people came, we showed them the pictures since Public Work people left we did not see them here again. After one or two weeks, the man started to put his fence back again,” Ma Mary said
She added: “The man can bribe the Public Work people. They can come and stop him but still –the man says his money will speak. When the Public Work people go they cannot come back and then before we look, the man can start his construction work again.”
Beside the residents, some private offices around the 17th and 18th Streets and beyond experienced heavy flooding as the result of the blockage of the drainage during the rainy season.
Every rainy season for the past two years, from Sherman and Sherman Law Firm, the Americares offices including several other entities face serious challenges with flooding during the rainy season.