The Liberian Government faces proposals to move its capital city from Monrovia due to severe flooding.
Floods witnessed between June and July have left nearly 50,000 Liberians in urgent need of help, with Monrovian residents severely affected.
Overpopulation, poor sewerage system and lack of proper building regulations have been cited as the causes of heavy flooding in Monrovia.
Liberia’s senate joint committee has proposed establishing a new city to replace Monrovia saying the move would help ease pressure on the city’s infrastructure.
Monrovia is home to 1.5 Million people, which is nearly 30% of Liberia’s 5.5 million population.
Liberia’s ministry of public works has said it is carefully reviewing the proposal and the plan is however yet to include an exact location for the new Capital.
The Liberian government said its decision would be dependent on economic viability of the relocation. The Proposal to replace the capital is not a new one in the West Africa nation.
In 2012, the then -President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suggested relocating Monrovia to a new city called Zekepa in the center of the country. The Proposal however failed to progress.
Other countries that moved their capital cities include Nigeria which relocated its capital to Abuja to Lagos in 1991, Tanzania from Dodoma to Dar-es-Salama in 1973.
