Collapsed Du-Bridge Posing Constraints To Commuters in Harbel

Firestone, Margibi – Movements along the 15 Gate-to-Harbel route are being made difficult since the collapsed of the Du-Bridge in June last year.

Report by Emmanuel Degleh, FPA Contributor

The journey from that part of Margibi County to the commercial town of Harbel is not just a long one but also capital intensive.

A number of people commute to the Firestone-run Du Side Hospital on a daily basis. Residents of Bondiway, a community on the out sketch of Harbel, are now finding it difficult to commute along the route.

Traveling to Harbel now has two options either by motorbike though Division One that would cost LRD $300.00 or taking the maximum risk of ridding onboard the dug canoe that cost LRD$70.00, which is rather less costly but risky.

Anthony Mulbah, a father of three children, has now abandoned his source of livelihood in artisanal fishing on the Du River.

He is now commuting locals by using canoe in a bid to mitigate the constraints travelers are facing since the collapsed of the bridge in the face of the current harsh economic situation in the country.

“We had a small canoe here that we used for fishing but when the bridge collapsed we were using it to cross people, which was not conducive that how we decided to change it to the one we are using now,” Mulbah said.

According to Mulbah, he bought the canoe at Lrd$5,000, which carries about 10 passengers at a time. A trip would cost LRD$20 per person for a single trip, and carries over 50 persons a day.

Mulbah noted that his involvement in the business is not particularly for profit making but he feels the constraints travelers go through every day especially those who don’t have the means of using the other route.

Attorney Clifford Wloglo, a government prosecutor assigned at the Bondiway magisterial court who is also a regular commuter on the route, wants the government to prevail on Firestone Rubber Company to rehabilitate the damaged bridge to ease the current challenges.

“I think the government needs to come in and compelled Firestone to see reason to fix the bridge, it’s very worrisome traveling along this route but we got no option” Attorney Wloglo said.

For her part, Janneh Kanneh, a government supplementary teacher assigned at the Bondiway public who earned less than LRD $9,000.00, said she has to travel to school five days a week and using the canoe to cross is the cheapest alternative for her since her income cannot enable her to use the other route, which is safe.

“It’s very much risky crossing on canoe every day because my salary cannot afford to pass the other way, so I have to take the risk,” she lamented.

In an email response by Firestone Liberia, the company claims it was working in collaboration with the government to rehabilitate the Du Bridge to once more ensure the free flow of traffic along that highway.