Liberia, Oct. 30 -- PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado County - After sunset, when mosquitoes descend on homes in Whein Town, residents say spending time outdoors becomes almost unbearable. During the day, swarms of flies hover around food and businesses, while foul-smelling water and the presence of rodents and snakes fuel fears about what living beside a massive garbage dump may be doing to their health.

By Gerald C. Koinyeneh

For families in this community outside Monrovia, the struggle is not simply about living near garbage. It is about the growing cost of securing clean water, protecting children from insects and trying to maintain a livelihood in an environment they say has become increasingly difficult to endure.

The source of much of th...