By: Emmanuel Smart Jipoh
Paynesville, February 2, 2026: Members of the Liberia Water Producers Affiliation (LWPA) threatened a nationwide shutdown of water manufacturing and distribution late Thursday night, January 29, 2026, citing what they described as the federal government’s fixed suppression and exorbitant fines.
The Water Producers issued the risk after an emergency assembly on Duport Street in Paynesville, expressing frustration with the federal government.
They’ve threatened a whole shutdown if the federal government doesn’t reverse its determination—by way of the Environmental Safety Company (EPA)—to shut water factories, a transfer the federal government says is in compliance with rules.
“We’re struggling, and the federal government is strangling us. They’re placing loads of stress on us, and we’re drained.
“If they can not revise this, now we have a shock bundle for them. We’re going to shut down. Since they need to shut us down, we’re going to shut down the water communities,” Ruth Wilson, CEO of Rutha Aqua Mineral Water, mentioned.
The Liberia Water Producers Affiliation (LWPA) has vowed to close down its operations and halt water distribution throughout communities if the federal government doesn’t tackle their considerations.
LWPA, Secretary-Normal Marvellous Okay. Flomo, and Candy for Liberians Mineral Water described the exorbitant fines being imposed on members and the persistent threats of manufacturing unit shutdown by state brokers as proof of over-regulation and coverage inconsistencies.
He decried the irrelevant calls for of presidency regulatory businesses, that are hampering his enterprise.
“The federal government just isn’t serving to; they’re destroying us, imposing exorbitant expenses on us, and strangling our enterprise,” Flomo mentioned.
Members of LWPA alleged that the federal government, by way of the Paynesville Metropolis Company, is charging $75 USD per water machine, together with exorbitant charges of $125 USD for water testing on the Nationwide Public Well being Institute (NPHIL), $225 USD in environmental charges from the EPA, and $150 USD from the Liberia Water and Sewer Company (LWSC). Regardless of paying these charges, authorities businesses are nonetheless shutting down their factories.
“We’re drained; the federal government is irritating us; they’re strangulating us day by day.
We would not have something; our commodity is the most affordable, water is the most affordable available on the market, and from time immemorial, the water value has remained fixed at $65 or 75 LD for a sachet, but the federal government remains to be coming after us. “That is irritating,” a producer mentioned.
They warned that if the federal government, by way of the EPA, can’t cease manufacturing unit shutdowns whereas amassing exorbitant charges, they don’t have any different choice however to strike towards the federal government.
“We’ve lots of people feeding on us. We’re chargeable for paying them, so you can not maintain suppressing us.
“We pay $75 to PCC for every machine and $150 to Water and Sewer, who declare we’re extracting water from underground, so that they insist on metering our wells and boreholes. We pay over $1,000 USD yearly, but you proceed to suppress us and shut down our factories. Because you need us to close down, allow us to shut down in all places,” a water producer added.
They alleged that the EPA lacks particular compliance standards or rules.
“The EPA doesn’t have standards; they go about shutting down factories randomly, whether or not you may have examined your water or not. You haven’t examined your water; they go about shutting you down,” David of Moryan Water added.
Mohammed Prosper, appearing president of LWPA and proprietor of Prosperity Mineral Water, pleaded with the federal government, by way of the EPA, to revise its determination on the water manufacturing unit.
In the meantime, the Water Producers’ pending strikes observe the EPA’s earlier motion this week to close down water factories.
The EPA mentioned its motion is a part of ongoing efforts to make sure that mineral water producers meet required environmental, security, and high quality requirements to guard public well being. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
