MONROVIA: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Monrovia (the capital of Liberia) is grossly deficient, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Monrovia.
This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.
N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city.
Table of Contents
- Background information
- Water resources and supply: overview
- Sanitation access
- Sewerage system
- Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
- Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
- Sanitation in low-income districts
- Responsibility
- Sanitation masterplan?
- Sanitation financing
- Major investments and donor interventions
- Sources and further reading
- References
- Other City Profiles
Background information
Monrovia is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.1 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a coastal city at the mouth of the Mesurado River, extending over a number of peninsulas and small islands separated by lagoons. Climate is tropical monsoon (Köppen classification Am). Flooding is frequent and severe, and some low-income settlements are flooded for several months of the year (IRIN 2009). Pollutant industrial activities include petroleum refining, cement manufacture, food processing and chemical industries. We do not currently have any information on agricultural activity within the city. A large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, including very poor informal settlements. The city was severely impacted by the Liberian Civil War, which ended in 2003.
Water resources and supply: overview
The formal water system draws water from the Saint Paul River. Prior to the Civil War, the average water production for Monrovia was about 68,000 m3/day, but this has now dropped to about 10,000 m3/day (AWF 2007). Only small parts of Monrovia currently have direct access to the piped water supply; most areas depend on trucked water delivered to community collection points or household tanks, and/or on water from unprotected water wells, streams or springs (AWF 2007, IRIN 2009); we have no data on the proportion of the population using untreated water. Where there is piped supply, this suffers frequent interruptions. Unaccounted-for water is reported to be very high (65-75%), due largely to leakage, though also to illegal connections (AWF 2007)
Sanitation access
Detailed quantitative data are not available. An IRIN report (IRIN 2009) suggests that only about one third of the population has access to clean toilets. A sewerage system exists but is practically non-operational (see below). Most people in low-income settlements are reported to use very low-grade latrines that often collapse during the 7-month rainy season; public latrines are also present, but these are typically unhygienic and severely over-used; open defecation (within settlements, on the beach, or in plastic bags thrown onto waste tips) is reported to be frequent (AWF 2007, IRIN 2009). In low-income informal settlements, shortage of land for toilet construction is reported to be a serious concern. Cholera is reported to be endemic (IRIN 2009).
Sewerage system
Monrovia previously had a waterborne sewerage system, built in the 1950s, covering the central part of the city (including Bushrod Island and Sinkor), with a 61 km of sewer mains and 4 pumping stations; however, the system is now entirely non-operational (AFW 2007). The network discharged to a waste stabilization pond which discharged to the sea via concrete outfalls; the pond is now filled with sludge and overgrown with vegetation, and the outfalls are damaged (AFW 2007).
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
No specific information.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, and except for the non-operational stabilization pond mentioned above, Monrovia has no major facilities for treatment/disposal of wastewater or sludge.
Sanitation in low-income districts
Low-income informal settlements include Buzzi Quarter, Clara Town, Sawmill and West Point. Some districts, including Clara Town, are under threat of demolition and relocation. IRIN (2009) reports that the existence of the “Montserrado Slum-Dwellers Association”, representing slum communities throughout the capital, but we do not have any further information on this. We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements.
Responsibility
Institutional structure and capacity is poor at all levels: see AWF (2007) for further information. The Liberia Water and Sewerage Corporation (LWSC) is responsible for water supply and sewerage nationwide, but currently provides rudimentary services in Monrovia alone. Staffing levels are very low (see AWF 2007).
Sanitation masterplan?
As far as we are aware, Monrovia has neither a sanitation masterplan nor any more general strategic planning document. The Japanese aid agency JICA has prepared a “Master Plan Study on Urban Facilities Restoration and Improvement in Monrovia” (2009), but we have not been able to access this document. The National Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) aims, by 2012, to increase access to safe drinking water from 25 to 50% of the population; to increase access to excreta collection and disposal facilities from 15 to 40%; and to ensure that 90% water and sanitation facilities are functional.
Sanitation financing
We have no specific information for Monrovia. At the national level, a recent report by the Liberia WASH Consortium (see Seeton 2010) indicates that only 37% of the estimated 143.5m US$ required to meet the water and sanitation goals laid out in the PRS.
Major investments and donor interventions
The 1.2m € African Water Facility “Monrovia Expansion and Rehabilitation of Three County Capitals Water Supply and Sanitation Project” involves feasibility studies and initial institutional strengthening, mostly related to water supply rehabilitation in Monrovia and three other Liberian cities (AWF 2007).
The Liberia WASH Consortium is a consortium of international NGOs led by Oxfam, funded by DFID, ECHO and Irish Aid, and comprised of Oxfam, Tearfund, Concern Universal, Solidarités and Action Contre La Faim (ACF). IRIN (2009) reports that the consortium is preparing a report on water and sanitation in Liberia.
Sources and further reading
http://washconsortium.org/activities/access.html
Liberia WASH Consortium (2010) Life and dignity at risk: the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in Liberia.
References
AWF (2007) Project Appraisal Report: Liberia: Monrovia Expansion And Rehabilitation Of Three County Capitals Water Supply And Sanitation Project. http://www.africanwaterfacility.org/fileadmin/uploads/awf/projects-activities/24-Liberia%20WSS%20Study%20Final%20%20Appraisal%20and%20TOR-%2013dec2007.pdf
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443
UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2002) Water availability in Africa. UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water_availability_in_africa.
Seeton T (2010) “Liberia: Water & Sanitation Goals Face Setback”. News article 25 Mar 2010. http://inwent-iij-lab.org/Weblog/2010/03/25/liberia-water-sanitation-goals-face-setback/
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