'Clogged Latrines, Open Defecation': Concerns Mount Over Deteriorating State of Johnsonville Public School

Paynesville Liberia: Students and community residents are raising alarm over the current state of the Johnsonville Public School in District #2, Montserrado County, as a huge pile of garbage on the school premises is said to be causing inconvenience to the environment.

Students and residents alike said the wastes have taken over the latrines at the school, leaving many to abandon them and force their way in near bush to defecate.

Speaking to K-News at the site on the Johnsonville Public School Campus, a resident and also Chairman-elect of the Central Johnsonville Community, Eddie McGill, said feces are often discovered in open areas since the school latrines got clogged.

According to him, the garbage situation at the school is causing serious setbacks to the environment. Eddie is alarmed that, this, has polluted the air, and made eating in the surroundings unsafe.

The Central Johnsonville Community Chairman-elect said if not handled, the situation could cause a health outbreak in the area.

"You see this kind of garbage here and students are here. Let's get a clean space for our students. How will you feel, if you are a student in this institution? You think you must serve or sit in class with this kind of garbage here, will you not be affected? Our health is at risk".

"The students cannot access the toilet, so at the end of the day, you will see feces all on the ground. So no way, they will have to go into the bushes. We are actually living here like we are walking dead", he asserted.

Meanwhile, Eddie McGill is calling on the government through the Paynesville City Corporation (PPC) to swiftly intervene and address the waste problem at the school facility.

He wants the PCC to remove the garbage and regulate the disposal of waste in the area. The prominent resident of the Johnsonville Township believes the wastes are generated from the marketers in nearby areas.

"If you want to do the right thing, we are saying, clear the area and regulate the waste disposal. Let's give students access to get to their school, and let the environment be a safer place for all of us".

"You can eat or drink easily from around here, something needs to be done. This threatens the well-being of students and community residents", he emphasized.