Members of the 55th Legislature have been asked to address the every- year flooding in Monrovia and other parts of the country.
As such, the Plenary of the House of Representatives has mandated the National Disaster Management Team, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide a full, and candid explanation regarding the persistent overflow of water and recurrent flooding along Monrovia streets.
The decision followed the reading and subsequent deliberation on a communication Bong County Electoral District #6 Representative, Moima Briggs-Mensah submitted.
Rep. Mensah expressed concerns about the increasing incidents of flooding, and the potential danger posed to lives, property, businesses and public infrastructure during rainy seasons.
In her communication, she requested the House plenary to invite the relevant institutions to account for the underlying causes of the recurring flooding and outline the measures being implemented to address the situation.
Specifically, the institutions have been requested to provide detailed information on the root causes of the persistent flooding, and recurrent water overflow along main streets, Paynesville, and other flood-prone areas for immediate, medium-term, and long-term interventions to mitigate the flooding. Also, the current level of preparedness, inter-agency coordination, and emergency response mechanisms to prevent future flooding during rainy seasons.
The exercise to catastrophic flooding disaster similar to the recent tragedy experienced in Ghana.
Rep. Mensah emphasized the need to avoid recurring of flooding; taking into consideration, public safety concern, threatening lives, disruption of commercial activities, damaging infrastructure and undermining the well-being of residents.
She further stressed the need for incumbent lawmakers to hear from responsible institutions when they appear before the legislature, provide transparent explanations regarding the situation, and present concrete plans to strengthen national resilience against flooding and other climate-related disasters.
Shortly after their deliberations, Plenary unanimously endorsed the communication and instructed the chief clerk to formally cite the National Disaster Management Team, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Environmental Protection Agency to appear before the House of Representatives on a scheduled date.
