By Abraham Morris |abrahammorrisabrahammorris@gmail.com|
Margibi County District One Representative, Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh, has disclosed that residents of his district, specifically the Disco Hill Community have strongly rejected the dumping of an alleged highly Concentrated Chlorine by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
According to him, a 20-foot container of the alleged highly Concentrated Chlorine was transported to the Disco Hill Community, Lower Margibi County on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, by employees of the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), reportedly escorted under the cover of darkness by some heavily armed police officers.
Tarponweh said upon being notified, he advised members of the Disposal Team to embark on a vigorous awareness and sensitization campaign to residents of the affected community; informing them of the danger or non-danger the disposal of the chlorine would have caused; something he said authorities of the EPA, NPHIL and LNP did not do.
Therefore, for refusing to adhere to the request, Representative Tarponweh added that citizens of the Disco Hill Community, especially the youth and elders among strongly rejected the team disposing the container in the area over the weekend.
The citizens, he maintained, said disposing the container in their community would create a serious health hazard that could further have far-reaching consequences on the citizens; as it was reported in the local media that several residents and passersby of the Gardnerville community from which the container was brought were affected by the oozing of the alleged highly concentrated chlorine.
According to recent media report, the concentrated chlorine incident led to over twenty residents hospitalized suffering with different complications, some of which include the burning of eyes, skin itch in the Chicken Soup Factory community.
Hence, Tarponweh indicated that the arbitrary use of armed police officers in situation that requires only information dissemination and awareness is counterproductive.
Representative Tarponweh indicated that because of the heighten suspicion in the way the whole situation was carried out, there is no way that the residents of Disco Hill can accept such hazardous waste disposal in their community, as citizens of the area have resolved that they would reject any forceful disposal of the alleged highly concentrated chlorine in the area.
The Disco Hill Community residents are meanwhile calling on authorities of the EPA and NPHIL through their representative to find other alternative sites for the disposal of the chemical.
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