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West Point is a township (the administrative equivalent of a city ward) of the Liberian capital city of Monrovia, located on a peninsula which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean between the Mesurado and Saint Paul rivers. Home to approximately 75,000 people, West Point is one of Monrovia's most densely populated slums.
Contents
Map of West Point, Monrovia, Liberia
Environmental degradation has gradually caused part of the peninsula to erode into the ocean. Endemic problems include overpopulation and diseases such as tuberculosis.
History
An experiment in the 1970s to move people from West Point failed. Residents returned despite squalid living conditions. People moved back to fish and make a living as informal shopkeepers and service providers close to the city centre.
Sanitation
The area lacks proper sanitation and public toilets. and a report by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that there are four public toilets in the area. Pay toilets exist, but residents cannot afford them, and thus public defecation is common. The beach surrounding West Point is often used as a lavatory which creates health hazards as the water is used for drinking and fish from the water are consumed.