Chairman James Toe, and the partial view of the Coastal Defense Project built by – one Jeff from Public Works Ministry
By Jonathan O. Grigsby, Snr. Contributor Writer
Liberia is one of those countries on the African Continent that is situated on the West Coast, along the Atlantic Ocean.
And because of its location, sea erosion continues to affect coastal communities of nine of the fifteen counties, over the past six years. From Grand Cape Mount County to Cape Palmers, in Maryland County, while Montserrado, Margibi (Marshal), Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Sinoe, Bomi (Royeville)and Grand Kru are also affected.
Over the years, the sea erosion continues to push inward in coastal communities, causing these counties to lose a large portion of their land space, while residents are often displaced from their various homes and their properties destroyed.
However, in 2010, under the leadership of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the UNDP, steps were taken to address the issue. TheGovernment of Liberia and UNDP-US$ 2.9 million Coastal Defense Project targeted Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa and Montserrado Counties.
For residents in the Port City of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, from the onset of the project, they were glad and showered praises on the Liberian Government and UNDP because their quest was that the Coastal Defense Project will help them in many ways.
But 16 years down the road, residents of Corcorwein, as it is regionally called, which is made up of Small, Big Fanti, and Bardor-Wleh Towns inBuchanan, Grand Bassa County continue to complain about how the sea erosion is encroaching and gradually taking a dramatic toll on them because the Coastal Defense Project is not helpingthem at all.
James Toe, Chairman of the Community, said residents of these areas are indeed living by God’s mercy, as their homes are continuously being taken or washed away by the sea.
Mr. Toe explained that from his understanding, the Coastal Defense Project by the Liberian Government under, Former President Johnson-Sirleaf, with support from UNDP, was done in two segments and we are today feeling the hardestpinch, because it was not properly done, and not completed.
“Let me provide you the real story, Mr. Toe said. At the beginning, an employee of the Public Works Ministry (Jeff – is the only name I can remembered) started the project. He built the Coastal Defense in a way to protect waves from crossing over when the sea crest (the highest pointof waves) and tough (the lower point of waves)break. And as you can see, it was done partly along the Atlantic Street, and that portion is still in good shape”.
“But Jeff was later replaced by a so-called expert that Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf brought from America. Instead of building up the wall like what [Jeff] did, he (the expert) just dumped the rocks on surface of the sea shores. Today all rocks are covered with the sand, and the sea erosion is pushing inward every year, especially during rainy season. This sub-standard work is a big embarrassment to [us] residents”, Mr. Toe disclosed.
Moreover, he disclosed that the Coastal Defense Project should have run from the Port of Buchanan,along Atlantic Street through Corcorwein (Small and Big Fanti Towns to Bardor-Wleh), and to Upper Buchanan, but was not completed.
Besides, the sand has covered a large portion of the Geo-Map placed there to help in the process, and this is the place I am standing now. Because of the failure to complete the project, the intensityof the sea waves from Port area is washing away Corcorwein Community (Small and Big Fanti Town,and Bardor-Wleh), Mr. Toe pointed out.
The Chairman pointed to an old iron standing far in the sea as the irons of the bridge and road leading heading to Central Buchanan and onward to the air-strip, but they are all gone from the effect of the sea erosion.
A resident of Corcorwein, Joseph L. Dunbar, who praised the initial stage of the project, is now expressing the biggest regret in the Coastal Defense Project, as its impact has not been felt since it was done.
Frankly speaking: “We were glad when we [ the residents] of the community heard about protecting us from the sea erosion, and at the beginning we were so happy because it started on a good footing, but later on the story began to change, and there we are today”, Mr. Dunbarpointed out.
He appealed to government to urgently restart the portion where the project was not properly done,and complete it to stop the sea erosion.
“This is extremely serious, and if nothing is done, Liberians must not be surprised to hear or see that this whole community being wiped out, making this community a history”, Mr. Dunbar explained is a sad mood.
Another resident of the community, who is visually impaired, Elder Shadrack Jackson, alias Papie Jackson, stated that he was born here and had lived in the community for over forty-five years. “Corcorwein” in the Bassa dialect means “Bridge. The current house I am living in is my parents’ fifth house. The first house was constructed in 1952, and there where my mother was born, I was told, which was during the regime of the late President William V.S. Tubman at that time the Port of Buchanan was not built.
Mr. Jackson: “Look where we are sitting today used to be very far from the sea. In fact, we had a big football field, for recreation, where we used to go a played as young people. Other community football teams and schools used to play on that field. But today, it is no more because the sea keep coming on us and those the erosion uprooted have to build on the football”.
Also a lady who said she was very young when she left Monrovia to settle with her patents in the late 1950’s, disclosed that they used to walk distance before reaching the sea, but today I am sitting right on my porch and looking at the sea.
“You see where that point is at the Port of Buchanan and those old iron standing were all part of the land with coconut, plum, palm and other tress. We used to go and cut wood, palm nuts, and find coconut but today you can see those things, it is the sea that has taken over”, Mrs. Florence Joeko Harries Attah.
Mrs. Attah further disclosed that her father and other people have houses all here the sea erosion has taken all of them away, so let government and partners come in to help us with this issue, it is very, very serious.
The Liberian Government and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) US$ 2.9 million Coastal Defense Project in 2010, targeted Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado, and Grand Bassa Counties was under titled: “Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Areas to Climate Change Risks in Liberia”.
The Project, aimed at reducing the weakness of local communities and build resilience of socio-economic sectors to withstand the threats of climate change in the three counties.
The Port City of Buchanan, some 88 miles from the nation’s capital Monrovia, is one of Liberia’s coastal cities that continues to lose valuable infrastructures, as a result of the continuous erosion, they have been criticizing the project, but at the same time earnestly appealing to thegovernment of Liberia and international partners to help solve this critical situation.
While the community of over two thousand residents are appealing to government as they are facing the sea erosion, there are government’sinstitutions with statutory mandates responsible of the population and wellbeing of the people, which need to take the necessary actions on behalf of the residents.
Some of the institutions are Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry Land and Mines and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
