On a regular day, Mary Sayon sits beside her mini shop in Buzzi Quarter near the drainage, inhaling the fetid order of trash dumped in the water. Here, access to quality air is a luxury. One could mistakenly step on feces if they are not careful.
"Living here is like hell," she explains.
Sayon is among the one billion people who are denied quality air as a result of living in slums, according to the United Nations Human Settlement Habitat. In Liberia, they make up 70 percent of Monrovia's population, according to the Cities Alliance report.
Improper housing facilities, toilets, safe drinking water, and garbage management are daily issues faced by Sayon, and other residents.
Formally Guzzy, Buzzi Quarters was established in 1945 to host people desirous of joining the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), according to SDI data on slum dwellers. The area has 292 structures with an estimated population of 2,160. Data on land space is not available.
The increasing population of slum dwellers caused them to be squeezed up into smaller rooms built without any urban planning or adherence to zoning regulations. Open defecation is a common practice among some. Others use makeshift toilets and public latrines.
Sewage running through a resident's house in the drainage
"We pay L$20 for the toilet and take bath near our houses or wake up early to take a bath," Thomas Johnson said.
The unavailability of hand pumps and wells causes those residing in slums to rely on sachet water for drinking. A gallon of water is stolen for L$10.
"Improper Waste Disposal"
Improper waste disposal is not unique to slums. Many areas in Liberia are flooded with waste-causing pollutants. Streets are littered with trash, some of which are set ablaze as a method of disposal. The Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) have consistently advocated for more support to effectively regulate their respective municipal ordinances.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Michael McCarthy accused the administration of President George Weah of failure to take responsibility for the garbage crisis.
In an opinion piece, he asked: "Is there a more basic local government responsibility than the collection and proper disposal of garbage?"
Garbage serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies, rats, and cockroaches that transmit bacteria to the human body. These insects are major carriers of malaria, fever, Cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Garbage brings about mosquitoes," Dr. Joyce Bartekwa Gwaikolo, an Infectious Disease specialist at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center. "Flies transport microorganisms so they are at risk of diarrhea diseases, they are at risk of having some infections."
Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in Liberia, accounting 2020 for 46.9% percent of outpatients, according to the World Health Organization. Diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid fever, malaria, and yellow fever are prevalent in Liberia.
"The Conflict Effects"
Between 1989 and 2003, conflict engulfed Liberia's capital and other parts killing an estimated 250,000 people, and many more fled neighboring countries as refugees. Some were raped, tortured, and made homeless by armed rebels. The war ended in 2003. In 2006, the United Nations declared that it was safe for refugees to return home. Those who returned with no homes, families, or place to call home were forced to build makeshift homes in slums.
Many of them are residing on squatters rights, and risk eviction by the government anytime. Others are only using the area to generate funds by building makeshift houses to rent to people. These structures lack toilets and are often susceptible to floods, fires and other potential disasters.
"We have nowhere else to go," says Weah Williams, who has lived in Buzzi Quarter for 14 years.
Williams pays U$15 as monthly rent for a room that has no bathroom. He says he is doing so because of his job. "I work at Central Police, the Liberia National Police Headquarters, and this place is closer to my workplace," he added.
Dirty Drainage
Monrovia's biggest drain runs through these slums, causing pollution. The residents in the communities and others use the drain for dumping, and the toilet area causes pollution and makes the environment uncomfortable for the inhabitants, and visitors.
"We sometimes come together to clean the area," said Fayiah Tukor. Tukor claimed that people from neighboring communities used the drainage as a dump site. According to him, the environment is flooded with mosquitos and other harmful pathogens.
He says it is worse when it rains, and the community is worried ahead of the rainy season. In 2021, Mary Broh, former General Service Agency director, threatened to close down any homes in Monrovia without a toilet.
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At the time, Broh was appointed by the former Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson T. Koijee, to chair the Citizen Engagement Board (CEB) as a means of helping to clean the City of Monrovia ahead of the country's bicentennial celebration.
"Climate change"
Heavy rains that result in flooding are some of the causes of climate change that impact slum dwellers. When it rains, the areas get full of water entering homes that are not built properly. Those living in slums are heavily impacted. According to the UN Refugee Agency, weather-related disasters drive millions of people from their homes each year, and 70 percent of those who are internally displaced due to war come from nations that are among the most vulnerable to climate change.
Communities that have been forcibly displaced and are living in climate-vulnerable regions are threatened with losing their lives and means of subsistence. The cycles of disaster and displacement will continue and get worse in the absence of enough assistance to adapt. Slums in Monrovia are worried about the rainy season.
