The Senior Environmental Inspector of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Margibi County is warning the public to refrain from using chemicals to fish in rivers and creeks.
Ms. Victoria M. Jones said the EPA office in Margibi County has observed that people, mainly during the dry season, put chemicals in rivers and other water bodies to fish, thereby killing other marine species that are very important to human survival.
In an interview with the Liberia News Agency on Monday in Kakata, Ms. Jones further warned that if these dangerous fishing practices continue, they will cause serious environmental degradation.
“Even the fish and its eggs the chemical will kill are also poisonous for human consumption; and this method of fishing must stop as the use of chemicals is very harmful,” she cautioned.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jones is also warning against the burning of trees in open air, noting that this is not good for the environment because it creates health hazards and also has an effect on climate change.
Ms. Jones said under a wider canopy of awareness building, Liberians need to know that people using wetlands and swamps for construction purposes should desist because this practice affects the aquatic species, noting that “nature never forgives us when we block the pathway of the water; and tomorrow the flood will drive us away from your own homes.”
Margibi County is prone to many natural disasters, especially during the rainy season, with floods being the worst.
Each year in Margibi County, various communities are affected by floods that render residents homeless, causing them to seek shelter in school buildings and open areas, as well as blocking major roads, including the one leading to the Roberts International Airport.
“The environment is all we have, let us learn to keep it clean, protected and green for the future generations,” Jones added.
