By Bill W. Cooper
The newly constructed Japan Freeway Road in the commercial hub of the Red Light area has now become a waste dumping ground for marketers, causing concern among residents and pedestrians.
The once bustling and vibrant road fully funded and built by the Japanese government for the people of Liberia has now turned into a filthy and unsightly messy environment with piles of garbage scattered all over the place.
The Japan Freeway Road was constructed as part of a development project during the administrations of former Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and George Weah aim at improving commuting transport in the area.
Red-light Market is one of the busiest market in the country, as it is situated in the densely populated City of Paynesville. The cleaning and maintenance of the market solely lies with the Paynesville City Cooperation (PCC) and the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA).
Instead of being used for its intended purpose, the road is now a glaringly convenient dumpsite for marketers who will not have to pay to properly dispose of their garbage.
The situation, according to our reporter who visited the area over the weekend, has become so bad that the road is now virtually impassable, with garbage blocking the way and creating health hazard for residents and passers-by.
The stench of rotten waste fills the air, making it difficult for people to even walk through the area thus preventing free movements of vehicles as well as it is seriously affecting the drainage.
Some local residents and pedestrians expressed frustration and anger at the situation, with many calling on the government to take action to clean up the road and hold those responsible for the dumping thereon accountable.
“It is a disgrace that our once beautiful road has been turned into a dumpsite by selfish marketers who have no regard for the environment or the health of the community and worst of it all, the PCC and LMA are doing nothing to address this situation,” John Ballah noted.
According to him, the situation on the road further serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the country in terms of waste management and environmental protection; of which, much has not been done by government to address.
He added that it also highlights the need for greater awareness and enforcement of laws and regulations governing waste disposal, as well as the importance of community involvement in keeping public spaces clean and safe.
Ballah called on marketers to take responsibility for their waste and to work together with the PCC and LMA to ensure that the road remains free of garbage for their own well-being.
Meanwhile, it was also observed that thousands of marketers have once again returned to the Red-light Market to carry-on their normal business activities in total disregard towards the government regulation.
During the regime of former President George Weah, marketers were removed and banned from selling in the Red-light and were all relocated to the 14th Gorbachev Market built in the Omega community.
Some of the marketers attributed their decision to return to Red-light as a result of the slow buying of their commodities due to lack of buyers and the lack of space of the market to hold them during their day hours.
