Liberia: Environmental Protection Agency Shuts Down Non-Compliant Sachet and Mineral Water Factories in Monrovia - FrontPageAfrica

Summary

• The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia has shut down several sachet and mineral water production facilities in Monrovia for operating without valid certification, required water quality analysis, or sanitary production conditions.

• The closures affected several companies, including C3M Sachet Water Company and Dove Mineral Water Company, which officials said failed to complete regulatory requirements within the legally required timeframe despite prior communication.

• Public health professionals say the enforcement is critical to reducing waterborne diseases and have urged authorities to make water testing results publicly available to improve consumer awareness and accountability

By Aria Deemie, contributing writer

The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia has shut down several sachet and mineral water production facilities in Monrovia as part of a nationwide enforcement exercise targeting operators that failed to comply with environmental and public health regulations.

The enforcement, which began on January 20, focuses on facilities operating without valid permits, lacking required water quality analysis, or producing water in unsanitary environments that could pose health risks to consumers.

“We are not shutting down these facilities to frustrate business owners,” said Stephens Gibson, who heads the enforcement team, while speaking to a water company operator during a field visit on January 22. “Our responsibility is to protect public health. If the source of the water and the production environment are unsafe, then the water itself cannot be considered safe for consumption.’’

The action is backed by Section 35.1(a)(i) of the Environmental Protection and Management Law, which mandates the agency to establish and enforce water quality standards for drinking water and to regulate raw water sources before production begins, ensuring that water production does not endanger public health.

During field inspections observed by this reporter, Environmental Protection Agency officials said they shut down C3M Sachet Water Company near the Police Academy Turning Point after determining that the operator had failed to complete the certification process despite earlier notifications.

According to officials, the agency responded to C3M on November 18, 2025, and the operator collected the compliance letter on December 8, 2025, but failed to present proof of payment, official receipts, or water analysis results during the inspection.

“This place does not resemble a water factory,” Gibson told the operator during the shutdown. “It needs a complete facelift. When you want to set up a factory, the rightful authorities are supposed to advise you before production begins.”

The operator of C3M Sachet Water Company, Momoh Juana, who said he has been in operation for about a year, maintained that he had made efforts to comply with the regulatory process.

“I paid the fees. I’m only following up on the water testing results,” Juana said. “I didn’t know I had to go back to the Environmental Protection Agency office for an official receipt.”

Officials, however, said the requirement was clearly stated in the compliance letter and ordered the facility shut down until all conditions were met.

After C3M, the enforcement team moved to Dove Mineral Water Company, located at Duport Road Junction, where officials said the company also failed to meet compliance requirements. Inspectors said Dove applied for certification in September 2025, received a response on September 11, and made payment on November 18, but failed to submit mandatory water quality analysis results within the legally required timeframe.

Officials told the company that its water was already being sold on the market without full regulatory clearance, prompting an immediate shutdown.

In an interview with this reporter, Wellington Jusu, owner of Dove Mineral Water Company, said the company has been operating for three years and insisted it has always met the required standards. He attributed the delay in completing the certification process to pending laboratory test results.

“It’s not that we don’t want to comply,” Jusu said. “The process just went a bit slow along the way. This exercise is good and highly recommended. We will provide all the information required by the agency.”

“Water testing applies when a new well or water source is to be used for drinking,” said Emmanuel Yarkpawolo, executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency, in a separate interview with this reporter. “We test that source to ensure the water is safe, and we also assess the surrounding environment, not just the water itself.”

Yarkpawolo said testing is conducted annually because conditions can change over time.

“A source that was safe one year may become unsafe the next due to new construction or environmental factors,” he said.

He added that if the production environment is filthy or unhygienic, the agency can enforce corrective actions immediately.

Public health experts say the enforcement is critical to reducing waterborne diseases in Liberia. Anthony Blessings Saah Bonkie, a Liberian public health professional, said contaminated drinking water remains a major public health concern.

“Improperly tested water can expose people to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and harmful chemicals,” Bonkie said. “This can lead to diarrhea, typhoid fever, dysentery, and hepatitis A and E.”

Bonkie also called on the government to publicly share water testing results to improve consumer awareness and accountability.

“When testing results are made public, consumers can make informed choices and protect themselves,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization, unsafe drinking water contributes to more than half a million diarrheal deaths globally each year, with waterborne diseases remaining a leading cause of preventable illness worldwide. The organization recommends routine testing of both raw water sources and finished drinking water products, noting that even treated water can become unsafe due to environmental contamination, poor handling, or unsanitary production environments.

In Liberia, waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid fever, and hepatitis A and E are classified as priority diseases under the National Public Health Institute of Liberia’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system. Public health officials have repeatedly warned that contaminated drinking water, particularly unregulated sachet water, poses a significant risk to urban populations.

The current enforcement follows similar actions in previous years, including the August 2024 shutdown of Grandma Mineral Water Factory in Paynesville after laboratory tests confirmed the water was unsafe for consumption.

Officials said the enforcement exercise will continue nationwide and urged water producers to regularize their operations, while advising consumers to look for valid certification before purchasing sachet or mineral water.