The generator room at Lonestar Cell MTN’s Congo Town facility, cited in the EPA’s noise pollution fine. (Photo: Aria Deemie/New Narratives)
Summary:
- The telecom company challenged a $US15,000 noise pollution fine at its Congo Town facility after tests found its generator exceeded WHO and Liberia’s recommended noise limits.
- The fine was the first for noise pollution in the country and marked a tough new approach from the Boakai administration’s Environment Protection Agency.
- Residents report years of disturbance from the generator, and environmental health experts warn that prolonged noise above safe limits can cause long-term health effects.
By Aria Deemie, Environment Reporter New Narratives
Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency said it is facing a legal challenge after telecom company Lonestar Cell filed a lawsuit contesting a $US15,000 fine for noise pollution at its Congo Town facility. The case, filed on May 27, is currently before the Civil Law Court in Monrovia.
According to Emmanuel Yarkpawolo, the Agency’s executive director, the fine – a first in the country – followed “a series of scientific tests” that found noise from Lonestar’s generator “exceeded both the World Health Organization and Liberia’s recommended limits.” He said the agency also received formal complaints from residents of the community.
“We met with Lonestar and presented our findings,” Yarkpawolo told FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. “They were instructed to install silencers on their machines to reduce the noise and to extend the chimneys so emissions would be dispersed higher. The company wrote to say they had done this, but our inspection showed otherwise. Under the law, we imposed a $15,000 fine and gave them a deadline to pay or face further consequences.”
Yarkpawolo said that when the deadline passed without payment, the EPA was preparing to shut down the generator when it received notice that Lonestar had sued to prevent enforcement.
“Since then, our legal team, together with the Ministry of Justice, has been pursuing the case,” he said. “We have also filed our own petition in court to compel the company to pay the fine pending further proceedings.”
Residents living near the facility said the generator noise has been a problem for years. “When there’s no electricity, we can’t sleep at night, and the vibration is constant,” said Mr. Isaac Quwebin, the community’s chairman.
Lonestar Cell did not respond to a request for comment before deadline. The EPA said the matter is ongoing in court and that it will “continue to enforce the environmental laws of Liberia.”
The fine marks a tough new stance from the incoming Boakai administration agency. Experts said Lonestar’s suit will test how determine the government is to carry through with enforcement of the country’s environment laws. Environmental oversight under previous governments has been limited by weak enforcement and inadequate infrastructure leaving unchecked pollution that threatens public health, local livelihoods, and the country’s economic future, from contaminated water and air pollution to land degradation.
Chairman Quwebin speaks to a reporter about the noise pollution caused by Lonestar Cell MTN’s generator.
The fine was welcome by environmental activists. Environmental health expert Nick Benito Goll said noise pollution can have long-term health impacts, including stress-related illnesses. “If noise levels are above permissible limits, they can affect people’s wellbeing over time,” Goll said.
The Lonestar case comes with Liberia’s launch of a fully equipped environmental laboratory, which in a recent publish FrontPage Africa Report/New Narratives report, experts said could transform the country’s ability to detect and respond to pollution without relying on foreign labs. The lab allows technicians to test air, water, and soil samples quickly, strengthening evidence for enforcement.
A glimpse inside Liberia’s new EPA laboratory, outfitted for testing air, water, and soil samples. (Photo: Francis Boayue)
“This is a game changer,” Yarkpawolo said at the lab launch. “For the first time, we can back our findings with science.” Experts stress that capacity must be paired with enforcement. Emmanuel T.T. Swen, an environmental scientist and former assistant minister of mines, said, “Having a lab doesn’t mean anything if regulators won’t use the data to hold polluters accountable. We’ve seen cases where pollution was confirmed, and still nothing happened.”
Liberia’s Vice President stands with EPA Executive Director Emmanuel Yarkpawolo and other dignitaries during the dedication of the country’s new environmental laboratory at the EPA headquarters in Monrovia
Environment Agency chief Yarkwapolo said the government is committed to enforcing the law. Experts and impacted communities will be watching closely to see if that commitment is carried through in this important case.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the American Jewish World Service. The donor had no role in the content of this story.
