By Trokon S. Wrepue
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sounded the alarm over escalating sea erosion threatening Liberia’s capital, unveiling a bold US$17.5 million proposal to construct a coastal defense wall that would safeguard the country’s largest hospital – the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center and surrounding communities.
EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo disclosed that the proposed revetment would stretch from the rear of JFK Hospital along the Atlantic shoreline to Bernard’s Beach in Congo Town, near the former headquarters of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC). “We have developed a US$17.5 million proposal to build a coastal wall from behind JFK all the way to Bernard’s Beach to protect those communities,” he told the Liberia Excellent News Network (LENN).
Dr. Yarkpawolo warned that Monrovia’s coastal neighborhoods face mounting danger from rising sea levels and unchecked erosion. He urged urgent government action, acknowledging Liberia’s financial constraints but stressing that delay could prove catastrophic. “Liberia must take bold steps to address this growing environmental crisis,” he said.
The EPA is already implementing a coastal revetment project in Greenville, Sinoe County, designed to shield the historic Mississippi Street from destructive ocean waves. But Monrovia, home to over one million residents, remains the epicenter of the crisis.
Beyond coastal erosion, Dr. Yarkpawolo highlighted another looming threat: Monrovia’s fragile wetlands. Much of the capital sits on low-lying land between the Mesurado River and the Atlantic Ocean. Illegal land reclamation, he warned, has blocked waterways, worsened flooding, and accelerated erosion.
“We are carrying out targeted demolitions. Monrovia sits on a wetland. Sinkor is almost like an island between the Mesurado River and the Atlantic Ocean. People continue to fill in the wetlands, and that is not good for Liberia,” he cautioned.
The EPA chief condemned the reckless reclamation of wetlands, particularly in informal settlements, saying the practice is creating grave environmental and public safety risks. Communities in Vai Town, the LPRC area, and Monrovia Industrial Park are among the hardest hit, suffering recurrent floods that destroy property and paralyze daily life.
Dr. Yarkpawolo traced Monrovia’s environmental woes to decades of rapid urban migration, especially following Liberia’s 14-year civil conflict. The city’s population explosion has overwhelmed infrastructure and placed enormous strain on its fragile environment.
“Years of migration into Monrovia since the 1980s have become one of our biggest challenges. In Doe Community and many other areas, people have continued filling in wetlands. When you reclaim low-lying land, these are the consequences you face,” he explained.
While acknowledging government efforts to mitigate the crisis, Dr. Yarkpawolo emphasized that residents must also play their part. Preserving wetlands, maintaining proper drainage, and halting illegal reclamation are critical to saving Monrovia from environmental collapse.
For the EPA, the message is stark: without decisive intervention, Liberia risks losing its capital’s most vital institutions and communities to the sea. The proposed $17.5 million coastal wall is not just infrastructure—it is a lifeline for Monrovia’s survival.
