SANNIQUELLIE, Nimba County – Once a source of pride for the people of Sanniquellie, Lake Teleh, the city’s iconic man-made lake, is now in a state of neglect, overtaken by garbage and used as a hand-car wash station.
The deterioration of the historic lake, located near the bustling Sanniquellie General Market, has sparked serious health concerns among vendors and residents. The area is plagued by the stench of uncollected trash, drawing complaints from marketers who say the filth is making them sick.
“For too long we have suffered, and we continue to suffer here,” said Patricia Saye, a vendor selling used clothing at the market. “We get sick from the foul smell of the dirt, but nothing is happening to change the situation.”
At just four feet from the growing pile of garbage, 75-year-old Ma Kou Sahn sells charcoal. Speaking through an interpreter in the Mano dialect, she recalled better days when trash was collected regularly.
“I don’t have anywhere else to sell my coal,” she said. “We used to collect our dirt and the people would come and take it far away. We even paid money for it. But these days, the dirt is no longer taken anywhere — it’s just left right here under our noses.”
Residents say the situation mirrors the ongoing frustration of vendors at the Red Light Market in Paynesville, where marketers have long petitioned the city corporation to relocate a transitory waste station near Pipeline Road Junction. In Sanniquellie, they are making similar appeals to the city government for action.
Why Lake Teleh Matters
Generations of Liberian students were taught about Lake Teleh in Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu’s social studies textbooks, which identified the lake as the largest man-made lake in the country. Created by communal hand-digging — a testament to local resilience and ingenuity — the lake was once envisioned as a tourist attraction, much like Lake Piso in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia’s largest natural lake.
Lake Teleh’s neglect stands in contrast to Sanniquellie’s historical significance. The city was the site of the landmark 1959 meeting that led to the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union. A monument commemorating that meeting still stands downtown.
Liberia once played a central role in Africa’s independence movements during the 1940s through the 1960s, but observers note the country has since relinquished much of its regional influence to Nigeria, Ghana, and other nations.
Government Silent on Restoration Plans
Sources tell The Liberian Investigator that the Nimba County Superintendent’s office has a plan to rehabilitate the area around Lake Teleh. However, multiple attempts to verify and obtain details of this plan were unsuccessful.
Superintendent Meapeh Kou Gono initially answered a reporter’s phone call, saying she was in Monrovia attending an official function, but she declined to grant an interview or confirm any plans to address the lake’s condition. Follow-up calls and text messages went unanswered.
Efforts to speak with the Sanniquellie City Mayor and the market superintendent were also unsuccessful, as both were reportedly attending funerals of family members at the time of inquiry.
Until action is taken, vendors and residents say they will continue to endure the health risks, the stench, and the shame of watching one of Sanniquellie’s most storied landmarks fall deeper into ruin.
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