By George S. Tengbeh
As an alumnus of the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and a lecturer of Environmental Science and Climate Change at the University of Liberia, I feel compelled to draw attention to the mounting environmental and climate-related challenges facing Liberia.
The reality on the ground is alarming, and as someone deeply invested in water governance, disaster risk reduction, and climate justice, I cannot remain silent while our people suffer due to a lack of proactive policies, failed coordination, and institutional weaknesses.
Liberia is one of the wettest countries in the world, with annual rainfall ranging from 2,030 to over 2,500 millimetres depending on the region. While the coastal areas receive rain almost year-round, the interior experiences two seasons, the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April.
During the rainy season, humidity can exceed 90%, and even during the dry season, it remains between 60% and 90%. As global temperatures continue to rise, Liberia is projected to experience severe climate consequences, including more intense rainfall, sea-level rise, increased flooding, and accelerated erosion.
I have seen firsthand how climate change is intensifying Liberia’s vulnerabilities. Wells and boreholes are being destroyed due to the overflowing of rivers and lagoons. The coastal erosion is relentless, displacing entire communities, damaging public infrastructure, and worsening the already poor sanitation system.
Open defecation is still prevalent, and diseases like cholera and typhoid are making comebacks in slum and flood-prone communities. Liberia is not just witnessing signs of climate change, we are already enduring its devastating effects daily.
Despite our natural endowments, abundant rainfall, rivers, forests, and fertile land, we continue to lag in development. Liberia ranks 120 out of 127 countries on the Global Hunger Index. This is unacceptable for a country with such ecological wealth. Mismanagement, corruption, and institutional failure have turned our natural blessings into liabilities.
I see no clear national strategy that integrates the work of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Disaster Management Agency, and the Liberia WASH Commission. These agencies often operate in silos, duplicating efforts or worse, neglecting key areas.
Let me be blunt, our institutions are not functioning at all. IWRM in Liberia lacks the needed investment in research, watershed planning, and community engagement.
The EPA, though legally mandated to lead environmental protection, has been more reactive than proactive. It has failed to robustly regulate harmful industrial activities, deforestation, and coastal sand mining. The National Disaster Management Agency is underfunded, lacks trained personnel, and is often absent in moments of crisis. As for the Liberia WASH Commission, its efforts remain fragmented and heavily donor-dependent. We cannot depend on foreign partners for our most basic human rights.
As the temperatures rise, so do sea levels. Communities like West Point, New Kru Town, and Buchanan are already seeing homes swept away. These are not isolated incidents—they are the new norm. The swamps and mangrove forests, which are supposed to serve as natural buffers against floods, are vanishing due to human encroachment and unregulated development.
Marine biodiversity is also under threat. Fishermen now must go farther into sea due to declining fish stocks caused by water pollution, overfishing, and marine habitat destruction. Our ecosystems are being stretched to the brink.
Deforestation is another silent killer. Charcoal production and illegal logging continue unabated, often supported by powerful interests. The overdependence on biomass for energy, combined with unsustainable farming practices, is not only degrading our soil but accelerating Liberia’s desertification.
This directly threatens our agriculture, which is the main livelihood for over 70% of our population. With erratic rainfall and temperature fluctuations, farmers can no longer predict planting seasons, leading to poor harvests and food insecurity.
Flooding is now an annual national disaster. In Monrovia and Buchanan, heavy rains regularly submerge homes, markets, and roads. Our drainage systems are blocked, either due to poor urban planning or lack of maintenance.
Every year, we lose lives and millions of dollars in property. We wait until people are knee-deep in water before calling a meeting. This is not disaster preparedness, this is policy failure.
Our national vulnerability is exacerbated by weak infrastructure, low institutional capacity, and a chronic lack of reliable data. Liberia has very limited meteorological and hydrological monitoring systems. We cannot manage what we cannot measure.
Without data on rainfall, river levels, temperature, and soil moisture, we are flying blind in a storm. It is not surprising that disaster response often arrives late or misses the mark entirely. We depend on international partners to conduct work and gather data’s for us. We preach politics of readiness in disguise we are far from the realities.
The high level of poverty in Liberia compounds the crisis. Most Liberians live in flood-prone zones not by choice but by necessity. These are the only areas they can afford. When floods strike, they lose everything, homes, food, and even loved ones. There are no safety nets, no relocation plans, and no flood insurance. The same people suffer, year after year, while the authorities repeat the same failed responses.
I believe the way forward requires a radical shift in how we approach environmental governance. First, we must strengthen coordination among the IWRM, EPA, National Disaster Agency, and WASH Commission. Their roles must be clearly defined, with overlapping mandates resolved.
This can be done through a national task force on climate resilience with the full backing of the Office of the President. Second, there must be massive investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, urban drainage, coastal defenses, and climate-smart agriculture. Our budget must reflect our priorities.
Third, we must empower communities. People must not only be consulted but fully involved in planning and implementation. Local knowledge is powerful, and citizen science can support early warning systems. Schools must teach climate literacy. The CLTS (Citizens Led Total Sanitation) program that is widely used and copied by other top organizations around the world started from local knowledge in Bangladesh.
Citizens took upon themselves to find a solution to END OPEN DEFECATION as it was creating serious health hazards. We need a generation that understands and is prepared to lead adaptation efforts.
Lastly, we need policy accountability. The EPA must enforce environmental laws without fear or favor. Illegal deforestation, pollution, and waste dumping must be punished. We cannot talk about adaptation while investors continue to degrade our environment with impunity.
My supposition as an environmental justice advocate and water expert comes with urgency because Liberia is on a dangerous path. The signs of environmental collapse are becoming increasingly visible: from devastating floods to waste mismanagement, to rapidly degrading ecosystems. We cannot afford the luxury of delay.
Now is the time to act decisively, not with more endless conferences or empty communiqués, but with transformative action that prioritizes community participation and grassroots empowerment.
We must move beyond policies that sit on shelves and create frameworks that empower our citizens to become stewards of the environment. Our people deserve better, and it is our shared duty to turn words into resilience and ambition into adaptation.
To do so, I strongly encourage the government of Liberia to begin engaging international organizations that have pioneered successful, community-based environmental interventions.
One remarkable example is the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) program that began in Bangladesh. Initially introduced to combat open defecation, it evolved into a model of citizen-powered health and hygiene transformation now replicated in over 60 countries. Liberia can adopt similar models, tailored to our local context, to address climate change, waste management, deforestation, and water security.
Such models give people agency, shifting them from passive recipients of aid to active agents of change. By investing in community knowledge and creating spaces for local innovation, we spark collective responsibility and sustainable environmental behaviors.
This is where the Ladder of Participation becomes vital. True citizen empowerment is not about token consultations or rubber-stamped forums. It’s about inclusion at every stage, informing, consulting, involving, collaborating, and empowering.
Local people must be trusted not only to voice their views but to drive solutions. When the government partners with international bodies that value this philosophy, the result is a decentralization of climate mitigation and adaptation efforts that are culturally resonant and locally driven.
It is this synergy, between local knowledge and international technical support, which will ultimately shape a climate-resilient Liberia with environmental control systems that serve not only the present, but generations to come.
About the Author
George S. Tengbeh is a dedicated advocate for labor and environmental justice.
He serves as a lecturer at the University of Liberia and is recognized for his expertise in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Environmental Science, WASH governance, and labor policy. Contact: Email: gstengbeh@gmail.com | WhatsApp: +231 886 657 953
