Africa-Press – Liberia. ArcelorMittal-Liberia has addressed concerns surrounding the disposal of sewage in Yekepa following an incident where residents seized a sewage tanker reportedly conveying a huge quantity of sewer products from Grand Bassa.
The community expressed worries about alleged pollution of the nearby creek, known as “Red Water” or “Deiyee”, used for various purposes by locals. The situation escalated when police impounded the waste truck to defuse tensions, but later released it under the direction of Nimba County Superintendent Mrs. Kou Meapeh Gono.
When contacted, the police admitted impounding the waste truck under the condition of defusing the conflict, but “the truck was later released upon the instructions of Superintendent Kou Miapeh Gono,” Nimba LNP Detachment Commander Larmin Mendin, told our reporter. “After a lengthy discussion with the aggrieved citizens and the company, we were ordered to release the truck to AML to avoid the waste being spilled out in the community.”
The Superintendent, however, “warned the company to take the truck elsewhere for disposal instead of Yekepa until the county can verify the standard of the waste treatment plant in Yekepa,” APC Larmin Mendin added.
“AML earlier admitted to taking waste from Buchanan to their standardized sewage treatment plant in Yekepa for disposal,” he added.
“For several years AML has been dumping waste from across their concession and Buchanan in the Red Water without regard for the community,’ said one Alvin, a resident of Sanniquellie.
ArcelorMittal-Liberia’s Environmental Superintendent, Ambrose Paye, refuted claims of dumping waste into the creek, stating that the company follows a standardized treatment process that involves multiple purification stages, including chlorination.
The purified water is considered suitable for washing, with the sediment used as fertilizer.
He said the company received a permit to transport sewage from anywhere to their treatment plant in Yekepa.
Mr. Paye disclosed that the waste or sewage goes through several purification processes and ends with chlorination before it can be dumped outside of the plant.
At the site of the standardized plant in Yekepa is a modern laboratory where, AML official explained,the testing of the final phase of the purifications is conducted before it is discharged from the plant.
Paye asserted that purified water from the waste is usable for washing, but could not guarantee its consumption.
“After the water from the waste is purified and discharged, the sediment is then stored elsewhere for use as fertilizer,” he said. “This entire waste treatment plant was destroyed during the war and AML rehabilitated it, as you can see.”
However, some non-employee residents in Yekepa lack access to safe drinking water, prompting calls for ArcelorMittal-Liberia to provide hand pumps for their benefit.
The community awaits improvements to restore Yekepa to its pre-war state, acknowledging challenges in refurbishing infrastructure due to various factors, including squatters occupying certain areas.
According to some community dwellers, EPA in 2022 warned AML to compensate the community for the damage caused to the water within the community, but AML continued to dump waste in the water, despite the warning.
On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, the Daily Observer visited the AML sewage treatment plant in Yekepa to verify the community’s accusations concerning dumping waste in the nearby creek.
Efforts to clarify environmental concerns with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were unsuccessful, but the Environmental Superintendent confirmed providing compensation to locals based on EPA recommendations in 2022.
For More News And Analysis About Liberia Follow Africa-Press
