By Grace Bryant Mollay
The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) has levied a US$15,000 fine against Lonestar Cell MTN for violating noise pollution standards, following persistent complaints from residents near the company’s generator site.
At a press conference, EPA Executive Director Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo announced the fine, stating that the telecom provider failed to implement required noise-reduction measures after the agency issued recommendations on April 8.
“The company had ten days to comply. But during our follow-up inspections from April 7 to 24, we found that noise levels remained unacceptably high and key issues had not been addressed,” he said.
EPA monitoring recorded noise levels reaching 84.6 decibels—well above the 60-decibel daytime limit set by both the EPA and the World Health Organization for residential areas.
Although Lonestar Cell MTN claimed to have taken action, the EPA cited several shortcomings in its compliance efforts, including: No new silencers were added, and existing ones failed to reduce noise adequately, extensions were made but did not meet EPA standards.
The company provided no evidence that PPE was distributed to staff and one generator was moved without EPA approval, and no formal relocation plan was submitted.
“These generators are producing intolerable noise. Some residents have reported being unable to sleep. That’s simply unacceptable,” Yarkpawolo stated.
Under Section 42 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia, the EPA issued the fine and instructed the company to pay the amount into the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) account within 72 hours.
A notice of violation was also sent to the Ministry of Justice.
“This money doesn’t go to the EPA. It must be paid directly to the LRA. If the company fails to comply within two weeks, we will proceed with further measures, including shutting down the generator operations,” he clarified.
The EPA warned that similar enforcement actions would be taken against other companies that fail to meet environmental standards.
Yarkpawolo emphasized that the agency’s goal is not to target specific companies but to ensure compliance with national regulations and safeguard public well-being.
