Presidency

H. E. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr.

President of Liberia

H. E. Zegben J. K. Koung

Vice President of Liberia

EPA Confiscates Over 2.2 Metric Tons of Chemicals

Seized chemical

 

On Saturday May 1, 2021, technicians of the Environmental Protection Agency backed by officers of the Liberia National Police (Zone 9 Depot) intercepted and confiscated a shipment of illegally imported chemicals at a warehouse in New Hope Community, Paynesville, outside Monrovia.

The shipment originated from Guinea and is allegedly owned by Mrs. Aisha Sherriff, but was conveyed by a transport company operated by Mr. Abdulai Kamara. Mrs. Sherriff, the purported owner is yet to be located.

At the warehouse, the team seized about 2,200 Kg (2.2 metric tons) of a chemical packaged in white HDPE buckets.

The confiscated chemical was packaged and labelled as sodium hypochlorite (bleach) - a compound most frequently used as a disinfecting agent or for drinking water treatment.

When EPA technicians took a closer look at the HDPE buckets, a second label was identified as cyanuric acid-a chemical used to prevent chlorine loss in swimming pools.

Cyanuric acid dissolves in water to initially form carbon dioxide gas and ammonia and can be potentially toxic in drinking water at high concentration.

Several toxicity studies have demonstrated that cyanuric acid causes renal (kidney) tissue damage that leads to kidney failure.

Our scientists have commenced analysis of the product and the chemical is currently in the custody of the Agency pending full investigation.

It is very unconventional to have a single chemical packaged and labelled as two different chemicals.

It is highly likely that the chemical was procured on the black market and packaged in another set of containers to conceal the identity or the original producer/supplier.

With this in mind, the Agency fears that if such a practice remains unabated, it could pose a risk to human health and the environment.

The seizure comes barely three days after the EPA announced, to the general public, its plan to begin a national wide chemical inventory intended to regulate the import, transportation, handling, storage, sale and use of chemicals in Liberia.

This exercise when successfully completed will it will put our country on par with the region.

The exercise is expected to commence today Wednesday, May 5 and will focus on all facilities involved in the sale and application of agrochemicals, petrochemicals, industrial and laboratory chemicals.

Chemicals provide enormous benefits to society and play a vital role in the economy but they may also carry risks for the environment (water, air, soil) and human health.

As industries have grown in recent years, so too have environmental and health concerns. As the competent national authority on all multilateral environmental agreements and guided by the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia (EPML), the Agency is conducting this exercise to abolish illegal chemical trade in Liberia and ensure that chemicals are adequately managed at every stage of the life cycle, as required by relevant international conventions to which our country is a party.

The public is advised to inform the Agency of all chemical hideouts and stockpiles across the country. This will help the EPA maintain a Registry of all chemicals in Liberia.

The Agency is grateful to the Liberia National Police, especially Commander Patrick Kormazu and his team of officers from Zone 9 Police Station for their support during the operation.

EPA remains committed to working with all stakeholders, both public and private, to ensure that Liberia remains a forbidden destination for toxic trade and illegal chemical shipment.

The Agency reassures the public of its inalienable commitment to ensuring a clean, healthy and safe environment for this and succeeding generations.

We have another case where On February 20, 2021, at approximately 8:45 pm, the District 2 Health Team of Grand Bassa County received a call from Jacob Z. Gweh (Community Health Services Supervisor) that over 200 migratory birds were found dead in a sugar cane farm located around the Golo Diggs community.

The incident was reported by EPA inspectors in Grand Bassa having form part of an initial investigation of a multi-agency team involving the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and local leadership. Unfortunately, all the 200 birds were reportedly buried days before the investigation team arrived.

Due to the mysterious nature of the situation, The EPA dispatched a team of technicians from Monrovia to conduct a detailed investigation of the situation:

  • To determine the cause of death of the birds.
  • To identify the burial site and measure the distance from human settlement.
  • To determine whether there were environment impacts associated with the burial site

The report uncovered that the birds were buried the same day of the incident prior to the alight of relevant government authorities to conduct the needed investigation.

However, a single specimen of the birds was taken by MOA for analysis during the initial investigation. The tag on the bird dug for sampling had a tag number of 16440346, thereby indicating that these were migrant birds. Therefore, since Liberia is a Party to the Convention on Migratory Species, we are under obligation to do appropriate due diligence by investigating the situation and report appropriately, especially as lead government institution charge with the mandate to ensure protection of the environment. 

Against this background the second wave of investigation conducted by the EPA came weeks after the actual incidents, physical observation from the level of destruction of weeds which laid beneath the sugarcane farm speaks highly to the likelihood of the application of weedicide, an agro-chemicals whose misapplication especially during the rainy season poses serious environmental health risk.

Accordingly, the initial team investigation indicated that there was a heavy down pull of rain and thunder storm during the evening hours, prior to the discovery of the dead birds the following morning.     

Degradation of Wetlands

Additionally, the EPA has also been involved in a series of activities. As you may record the Agency on February 25, 2021 published on its website and several print and electronic media, ‘A notice of Demolition Action” to the public and those persons of concerns that a 30 days grace period to ensue removal of encroached structures within and along the SKD Boulevard Wetland which is a RAMSAR site of international significance. 

Following that publication and as part of the due diligence, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia forwarded a communication address: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, with Ref: HALT ORDER AND CITATION TO A CONFERENCE drawing the attention to the wanton destruction and degradation of the mangroves wetland around the Police Academy Junction Area in Paynesville City Montserrado County highlighting all complains, reports, findings and activities that are compromising the ecological integrity of the Montserrado wetland.

That communication further mandates:

  1. That all interested parties, desist with immediate effect, from any further development, and construction activities on the boulevard wetland;
  2. That all interested parties, specifically those claiming ownership of property at the boulevard wetland attend a meeting at the Environmental Protection Agency slated for March 2, 2021 at 10:00AM as part of the grievances redress measure, and;
  3. Within 30 days, remove all existing structure or face demolition by the government;

The Agency further dispatched team of Environmental Technician from 17th to 25th of March 2021 to conduct inspection and monitoring along the boulevard wetland, undertake geospatial analysis, aerial survey using drone imagery, and physical observation in compliant with environmental impact standards and evaluation of conservation issues including the health status of the wetland.

The report herein provides full summaries of environmental analysis by the Agency relative to the current wave of degradation, and encroachment that has engulfed the boulevard wetland. It further projects insight on the nature of strategy to inform the relevant decision in arriving at a planned for remedial and demolition actions, or restoration and demarcation intervention.

This report is expected to be presented to all stakeholders and major government regulator on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at the EPA, prior to full implementation of the recommendations.