Paynesville – Liberia’s largest city, Paynesville, has attracted financial and technical support from WaterAid, as part of the British charity’s strategy aimed at addressing solid waste hurdles in Greater Monrovia and the Paynesville municipality.
WaterAid support to Paynesville was sealed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between the international charity and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC).
The objective of the MOU is intended to lay out the terms of WaterAid providing financial and technical support to the PCC for two projects being undertaken by the city government in the coming months.
The first of the PCC projects is a research to be conducted on climate change effects on six communities within Paynesville, a statement released Thursday said.
Indicators for this research include WASH services, access to pipe borne water, and solid waste management services.
The research endeavors to leading to an understanding of the level of adaptation (resilience) of these communities to the impacts of climate change, including flooding, hazmat exposure, fire, and drought.
The PPC will then embark upon its second project which is a baseline analysis for a Smart City Market, as a pilot project with local marketers within Paynesville City.
The second project will look at how a smart city market (one with closed loops) can generate income and be financially self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable.
Potential sources of income could be electricity production where generated waste is turned into valuable products such as biogas for electricity or cook stoves and fertilizers for the surrounding agricultural land.
Some outcomes would include sanitary facilities being put in place and the local population rightfully utilizing same.
Other outcomes will be latrine waste being taken care of in an environmentally friendly and sound way, women working at the market feeling safe and having access to child care as well as electricity, and an increased awareness of the environment, health, and sustainability, as well as a number of new green businesses having prospects of being developed.
“Both of these projects will support the development of a master plan and strategy for effectively managing solid waste within the communities of Paynesville,” the statement which indicated that implementation of the projects is expected to commence this month, noted.
Established in 1981, WaterAid is an international non-governmental organization focused exclusively on improving poor people’s access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation in developing countries.
WaterAid believes that water and sanitation are human rights, and that these essential services are vital for health, education and livelihoods; and form the first, essential step in overcoming poverty.
