Monrovia – James T. Gono wakes up 3 AM every day to manage the water in his well. It is the main water source for his family, tenants, neighbors, and now for residents of other communities.
Report By Alpha Daffae Senkpeni / [email protected]
Gono, 57, says he is struggling to keep water in his well since this year’s dry season reached its peak.
Many residents say the community is facing its most severe water shortage for the first time in many decades.
“Water business has been a problem but this year is hard for us because the wells that we have in this community are serving plenty people,” says Gono, who has been a resident of Buzzyquarters since 1976.
“People from other communities are coming here for water. These days, when you go around you will see all the wells closed. This year, it is very different, last year was better… I don’t know why?”
There are over 25 water wells in this densely populated slum community located at the foot of Capitol Hill, the political enclave hosting major government offices in Monrovia.
With about 10,000 residents, the wells are now under-serving the community, as owners also keep them open to residents of other communities.
Residents like Gono are managing their wells like a full-time job: cleaning, chlorinating and ensuring it doesn’t run dry.
“It is hard for me to manage the water this year because the water table is very low,” he explains while sliding off a makeshift lid, made of sticks and old sheets of zinc, on the well.
Scores of water peddlers come from other communities to buy hundreds of gallons of water from wells in Buzzyquarters.
A 5-gallon jerry can is sold for L$20 dollar. The peddlers buy from the community, load it on local-made wheelbarrows and supply customers across Monrovia.
Business is going well for these wells owners and peddlers alike and it eventually improves when water shortage heightens due to any break down in Liberia’s water utility company – the Liberia Water and Sewer Company (LWSC).
“They sell the water to People of Bassa Community, Camp Johnson Road, Clay Street, Perry Street, and other areas,” explains 17-year-old Princess Tarr, who manages her family well.
She comes from school every afternoon to ensure the water in the well is accounted for. Princess doesn’t normally record the number of customers she gets from outside of the community but she’s aware of an influx in the last couple of weeks.
Princess makes an average of L$1,000 daily, which is more than 50% of the daily L$400 average she made last year.
However, her well is under pressure from more customers and runs dry pretty often.
“The water gets dry fast-fast (frequently) these days, but when it gets dry they (customers) will sit down and wait and when it comes they draw,” Patience says confidently. She’s confident enough that her water will not run dry this dry season.
Most people in this slum community are not confident like the 17-year-old. They’re worried that the wells are running dry faster than normal.
Prince Antoe,38, has been a resident of Buzziquarter all his life. He too can’t fathom the cause of the water shortage this year.
“Usually for water to get dry here it can be hard (very difficult)” says Antoe.
“But this identical dry season, we’re facing a serious problem with water, maybe it is because of climate change. More people from other communities come for us the community dwellers to get water can be very difficult.”
The situation has compounded the lack of pipe-borne water in the community.
Wells here are not safe for drinking – the water is used for bathing, washing, and cooking.
The LWSC is struggling to fix a 36 inch damaged transmission pipe, which caused a shortage of water recently. In February, several parts of the city were short on water supply. Communities in Johnsonville, Paynesville, Congo Town, Sinkor, and parts of Central Monrovia were not receiving pipe-borne water.
Many of its major pipes have corroded since the end of the civil crisis.
“LWSC regrets any inconvenience this disruption may cause the general public and its valued customers and assures the public that its technicians are working rapidly to restore the damaged 36-inch transmission pipe,” the corporation stated in a release February this year.
Back in Buzzyquarter, access to safe drinking water comes with additional cost for residents. Many families are buying a sack of water for as high as L$100. Some large families buy about six sacks a week.
Residents say this is pretty expensive albeit the only means to avoid an outbreak of waterborne diseases.
The community has just a water kiosk with eight faucets intended to supply pipe-borne water. But it has been dysfunctional for over three months.
“Water does not come frequently like before,” says Prince Zazay, who lives a stone throw away from the kiosk.
“The community leader managed to get this water pump (kiosk) here to supply the community with water but water is not coming regularly.”
And he’s very concerned about the LWSC supplying their community.
“When pump water is here, many people don’t worry about water but when pump water supply is off the community gets worried because the money we can spend on buying water to drink,” he says.
“If the pump water is coming, I don’t think they will leave from the communities to come all the way from uptown to come here for water,” argues Younger Sumo.
Fedrick Yeah, a father of four who spends at least L$500 for five sacks of water a week, says LWSC must intervene in order to reduce the risk of children drinking unsafe water.
“I spend a lot just on drinking water because there’s no pump-water coming. The economy is already bad so why should we be spending a lot on water when we have water and sewer?” says Yeah.
“When pump water coming some of us will not spend too much money on buying sack water,” adds Younger, who also buys at least five sacks a week.
“The President needs to talk to water and sewer to come and help us,” she adds.
Yakparzou Gboli, the community leader, is proud that Buzziquarter is serving central Monrovia with water although the community is worried about the lack of safe drinking water. He’s optimistic the government will intervene.
“We have tried to bring this situation to the attention of the central government and then they are assuring us that in less than six months water will be back in the entire city,” he says.
Buzzyquarter residents do not seem to be short of recommendations to fix their drinking water quagmire.
One resident suggested that LWSC should bring to the community tanker trucks filled with water so that residents could purchase water at a reasonable price.
However, Mr. Gono says while he continues buying sack of water for his family, he’s also keeping his fingers crossed, hoping that the rain comes sooner this year.
“We pray to God so rain can fall because if rain does not fall it will be bad for us because the water system is not working – if pump water is coming then that it will give us relief.
