Liberia: Flooding Stalls Commercial Activities At Ganta Border

"Not a single car or person entered Ganta today from Guinea, because the water had taken over the Guinean size of the border", a commerce agent said.

Heavy Flooding stalled normal business activities at the Ganta Border over the weekend, hampering revenue intake and causing some shortages of some commodities in the local markets.

A week before last weekend the flood brought activities to a standstill, but it subsided or went down and businesses resumed, but a new wave of flooding water was described by local fishermen as heavier.

The flood water is said to be heavier on the Guinean side than the Liberian side of the border, forcing the Guinean Security to relocate several of their checkpoints to a much safer area.

A LIS female officer was seen sleeping at the Liberia last checkpoint near the river because of what appears to be no work, but those who were awake were stopping people going closer to the river.

"Not a single car or person was able to enter Liberia soil from the Guinea," said a Commerce, who was seen in short trousers.

"Go see the water, we are not working," he told the reporters, adding, "all you guys know is to report negative things about the border."

"But you guys received money from the Commerce Minister during his recent visit here but it wasn't reported," he said in anger.

Some communities along the St. John Bank in Ganta were also flooded, leaving some unspecified numbers of residents homeless, the City Mayor office had said.

"The water forced us from working for the past two days" a customs officer interjected.

"See down there, the flood water had moved faster and had completely halted all activities here and we don't know how long it will last," a police officer wondered as he and his colleagues were working to see the level of water.

In other locations across Nimba flood water had also halted movement between Saclepea and Tappita, where the 'Weh' Creek near Saclepea burst its bank and took the road.

Movement had also been slow at the borderline with Ivory Coast or the rise in flood water.

" We are not going to the Ivory Coast anymore because the Cestor River burst its banks and is rising quickly," said Berry Brewer, a citizen living around the bordering town of Buutuo.

"If the flood continues rising, those who have their farms near the river will surely lose," he added.

The bad climatic condition may hinder the economy and bring about a shortage of some of the local produce from the market, some marketers observed.

The weather continued to deteriorate with the cloud remaining dark under very hot temperatures, something many believed the rain was still far from stopping.

"Our corn farms have been taken over by water," we pray the water goes down soon or there won't be any harvest," she a farmer living around Sanniquellie highway.

The flood, if continued for a week, may cause some shortage of local commodities like peppers, groundnut, onion, beniseedling and among others, which usually comes from Guinea.

The Guineans might encounter shortages in commodities like gasoline, rice, vegetable oil, maggi cube and among imported goods, which they got from Liberia.

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