EPA Books, Penalizes Mining Company in Gbapolu -Shuts Down United Africa Minerals Company for Gross Violations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the leadership of Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo is not giving “investors” involved with environmental-related activities carte blanche in their operations, remaining ever-alert and robust against exploration excesses. THE ANALYST reports.

In an apparent attempt to jealously guide against willful desecration of the Liberian ecosystem, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shut down the United Africa Minerals Cooperation operating in Gbarpolu for “unsustainable mining practices”.

Making the disclosure at the MICAT press briefing on October 8, 2024, EPA Executive Director Dr. Emnnanuel K. Yarkpawolo said the United Africa Minerals Cooperation, which has been operating a Class B gold mine in Gbapolu county without an Environmental Permit, engaged into operations that “resulted into land degradation, massive biodiversity loss and huge sediment deposition leading to pollution of nearby water sources”.

“Residents of the area are reportedly finding it difficult to access water resources for domestic use,” the EPA boss reported, adding that there has also been allegation that the used sodium cyanide, which only supposed to be used by Class A Mining Companies under regulation.

The allegation is under investigation, Dr. Yarkpawolo said.

As a consequence of the findings from investigations conducted, the EPA has, with immediate effect, ordered the shutdown of the company’s operation “for operating without an environmental permit and causing environmental pollution, the company has been fined US$ 30,000 to be paid into Government of Liberia revenue account at the Liberia Revenue Authority and an official flag receipt presented to the EPA within 72 hours of this pronouncement”.

In the coming days, he divulged, a team of EPA technicians from Monrovia would visit the company’s site in Gbarpolu to further probe an allegation that the company had made use of sodium cyanide, a poisonous 12 chemical, to process gold.

Findings from the assessment will be made available to the public, he promised.

The EPA Executive Director used the MICAT briefing platform to report on a wide range of activities the Agency has been engaged into in the last couple of months.

Kilema Town Landslide

Reporting on the September 17, 2024 catastrophic landslide which occurred approximately one kilometer from Kilema Town, Foya District, Lofa County, the EPA Director spoke of urgent response from local and national authorities.

He said following the incident, there was an investigative team, comprising members from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the National Disaster Management Agency, that was rapidly deployed to assess the extent of the damage.

“Our investigation established the following: Kilema is located in a hilly region with steep terrain, and is highly susceptible to landslides, particularly during the rainy season when excessive rainfall compromises soil stability,” he said, adding that the landslide followed days of intense rain, resulting in the destabilization of slopes and massive soil movement.

According to him, the event buried large sections of farmland and disrupted the livelihoods of local farmers, who rely heavily on agriculture as their main source of income, while vast portions of hillside collapsed, and large sections of nearby farms were buried under a thick layer of debris burying about 10 hectares of farmlands.

“There were no casualties or injuries,” he reported, but that the damage to local livelihoods was severe.

One household, according to the town chief, lost a significant portion of his rice farm crop that was vital for both sustenance and income, he said.

Dr. Yarkpawolo also reported that there has been contamination of water resources as a major impact of the landslide, a nearby stream, which had long served as primary source of drinking water and irrigation for their farms filled with mud and debris, making it unsafe for both human consumption and agricultural use.

He called for an urgent need to assist residents with alternative drinking water, to assistant farmers particularly those that were affected and the need for improved soil conservation, reforestation and better land use planning.

The said the EPA is working with other institutions to implement the climate information system project with a goal of establishing a national metrological center that will collect and report on Liberia weather patterns.

“I recently visited MIS-Soft, a company based in Bratislava, Slovakia that specializes in the production of environmental monitoring equipment around the world,” he said. “While in Vienna, Austria, we had a meeting with Dr. Robert Floyd, Secretary General of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Mesurrado Wetland Under Threat

The EPA says the designated wetland of international importance – RAMSAR Designated), the Mesurrado Wetland located near Monrovia – a crucial coastal ecosystem dominated by rich mangrove forests is under threat.

Despite its importance, Executive Director of the Agency reported at the MICAT press briefing that the Mesurrado Wetland is under increasing threat from human activities, particularly along the SKD Boulevard corridor, where settlement expansion is contributing to the rapid degradation of the mangrove ecosystem.

The mangroves are vital for coastal protection, acting as natural barriers against erosion and extreme weather events, while also serving as essential habitats for diverse species of wildlife among others, Dr. Yarkpawolo said.

In response to these growing concerns, he said, a specialized team of GIS technicians and environmental inspectors were constituted on 11th September 2024 to evaluate the extent of this degradation and identify the 13 primary drivers of the degradation. The two-day assessment sought to gather data on the current state of the mangroves, quantify the impacts of nearby developments, and provide evidence-based insights for future conservation efforts.

The team’s findings, he reported, revealed that there is encroachment on the wetland, particularly along the SKD Boulevard, is a growing threat driven by rapid urbanization and settlement development, leading to the unauthorized clearing of mangrove forests for housing, commercial spaces, and infrastructure expansion, thus increasing vulnerability to coastal erosion, flooding, disrupting wildlife habitats, and threatening local livelihoods dependent on fisheries.

He also cited as a cause of the problem improper waste disposal and construction activities that are degrading water quality and altering the wetland’s hydrology.

If left unchecked, Dr. Yarkpawolo said, “this encroachment will lead to irreversible ecological damages. This has resulted into biodiversity loss, reduction in fisheries productivity, increase vulnerability to flooding, reduction in carbon stocks and increase in poverty due to vulnerability caused by disasters related to mangrove degradation.”

Mitigation measures and interventions suggested by the EPA director include continuing to create awareness about the importance of wetlands, partnering with LMDI to create awareness, but this project needs additional financial support, and with J Richards a Liberian Musician to develop educative songs to be played on various radio stations.

He also called for legal support through court orders in keeping with the Environmental Protection and Management Law to work with Ministry of Public Works, the Paynesville City Corporation and the Monrovia City Corporation to carry on targeted demolitions for structures situated at location of critical ecological stativity.

The call to this action is immediate, as Liberia is experiencing unprecedented flooding situation more than ever. In the coming days the EPA will 15 be publishing the flood hazard and vulnerability map of the city of Monrovia.

“In keeping with section 95 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law, the EPA is calling the Liberia National Police to herewith solidified collaboration in enforcing environmental violations; especially activities that threatens the health and safety of public and environment,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said.

Illegal Oil spill in Japan Community

The EPA used the MICAT briefing to report on a complaint regarding the alleged disposal of hydrocarbon sludge (a mix of fuel oil, water and other chemicals) in Japan Community, Careysburg City.

He said an EPA team that dispatched at the Careysburg Police Station saw that two trucks had been intercepted by the community members and impounded by the Police; one of the trucks had already emptied the sludge while the other still had its full content.

According to Dr. Yarkpawolo, the toxic wastes were collected from Conex Petroleum Storage Terminal near Freeport and the site selected for disposal was granted by Mr. Nays Miller, who owns an oil recycling facility in Careysburg.

The EPA was given copy of a waybill that confirmed that the sludge indeed originated from Conex storage tanks.

He disclosed how the EPA was further informed that the unsustainable practices of dumping hazardous wastes in the community has been going on for years.