MONROVIA, LIBERIA-More than fifty thousand people in Montserrado County Districts-Four and Thirteen are to shortly begin receiving regular water supply from facilities constructed by the African Development Bank.
The announcement comes following an assessment of the facilities on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Jarp Davies was part of the assessment tour initiated by the WASH Legislative Caucus Secretariat and he now reports.
In 2010, the Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the African Development Bank Group approved 49.43 million USD to finance an urban water and sanitation project in Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Grand Gedeh counties.
The project aimed to improve access to adequate, safe, and reliable water supply and public sanitation services for more than 690,000 people in Monrovia, Kakata, Buchanan, and Zwedru cities.
Several facilities were constructed in the designated cities as part of the project implementation, but to date, many of the facilities including water kiosks and latrines are not functioning to their full capacities.
During the 2022 World Water Day celebration, a local youth group working in the WASH sector, United Youth for Peace, Education, Transparency and Development in Liberia, raised concern about the project’s facilities constructed in the Soul Clinic Community in Paynesville.
Thirteen latrines and ten water kiosks were constructed in the area. The latrines were all closed to residents at the time and none of the water kiosks was functioning.
It was reported that the Liberian Government and partners did not live up to their terms of agreement with community members that provided land for the construction of the latrine facilities, something that led to the land owners’ refusal to open the facilities to the community residents.
According to some community members, the terms, among other things, included a 400 United States dollar payment to the land owners.
At the time, the Executive Director of the United Youth, Timothy Kpeh, called for actions on the parts of government, partners, and community members to work together to ensure all the latrines were open to residents for usage.
To date, the latrine facilities in the Soul Clinic are still locked while the water kiosks are still none functional.
The situation claimed the attention of the House of Representatives Committee on WASH and on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the committee Chaired by Maryland County Representative, Anthony Williams, led the assessment tour of the facilities in Soul Clinic and New Georgia communities.
Also forming part of the tour were members of the WASH Legislative Caucus, the WASH Legislative Caucus Secretariat, and a technical team from the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation.
Lawmakers who formed part of the assessment were Montserrado County Districts Four and Thirteen Representatives, Edward Flomo and Michael Thomas, and the Chairman of the WASH Legislative Caucus, Grand Bassa County Representative, Thomas Goshua.
During the assessment of Soul Clinic Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services, Patrick Sandekie, disclosed that the water supply in the community was cut off after some former officials of the LWSC allegedly disconnected the area to supply companies.
Mr. Sandekie assured that the LWSC was going to begin pumping water in the community as of Thursday, May 2, 2024.
He said all is set to begin water supply to Soul Clinic and New Georgia communities.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on WASH and Environment has requested the LWSC Management submit a recovery plan with a timeline to restore safe and sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services as soon as possible to the affected communities.
In a press statement on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in response to the assessment tour, the Committee’s Chairman, Maryland County Representative, Anthony Williams, requested the WASH Legislative Caucus Secretariat to work closely with the LWSC and the affected communities to ensure issues regarding management of the WASH facilities are properly addressed.
Representative Williams assured the public and development partners that there will be no more business and usual in the WASH sector of Liberia.
I’m Jarp Davies reporting.
