Presidency

H. E. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr.

President of Liberia

H. E. Zegben J. K. Koung

Vice President of Liberia

Building Environmental Consciousness…EPA conducts awareness on waste management with students

On 31, February 2017, the Environment Protection Agency held an awareness hour with ten (10) schools in the theater of the Agency. Participating schools include: James Kin Freeman, St Peter’s Lutheran, Muslim Congress, W. V. S. Tubman, Angel Net Foundation, Bishop Mawiah Institution, Len Millar, Seventh Day Adventist, R. C. Lawson, G. W. Gibson.

Hon. Urias Goll, Deputy Executive Director of the EPA spoke on behalf of the Executive Director who could not be present because of her engagement.  He said EPA is a governmental Agency that works through key partners, including schools and community groups, due to the fact that the Agency cannot be everywhere at the same time.  Therefore the EPA trained people to create good attitude towards the environment because a clean environment, brings about good health.  He also urged the students to be torchbearers for their environment as well as their schools.  The DED said they should also serve as an ambassador in their communities to report environmental problems to the EPA. He further encouraged the students to keep their environment and campuses clean.

Mr. Jefferson Dahn, Assistant manager for outreach, presented on the topic Waste Management.

Key questions arising from his presentation:

What is the best method for disposal of waste?

Mr. John Jallah of Compliance and Enforcement said the best method is land fill method: where land will be allocated in the out sketch for dumping of waste. In order for this land fill method to be effect, a temporary storage is being placed in designated areas for easy collections.

What mechanism EPA has put in place on the issues of farming that causes pollution?

Jefferson said REDD+ is putting policy into place to encourage low land farming to avoid forest depreciation or air pollution.

Cemenco is causing lot of pollution in the Balama vicinity, what is EPA doing about this?

Mr.  Jallah said for government to relocate industrial areas now will be difficult due to lack of funding. The mechanism EPA has put into place is mitigating measure to bring them to compliance. The monitoring agents are on the field so that they do not violate. Violators can be fined if the nuns are violator.