Monrovia – Flood disaster has caused serious impediment for residents in the Montserrado County densely populated Community of Pipeline stalling the movement of vehicles and inhabitants living along that route.
This week, residents woke up to yet another bad news as flood a heavy rainfall early Tuesday Morning destabilized ongoing bridge construction work by the Ministry of Public Works, washing away concrete cements intended to hold together curvets placed in the water-channel of a creek along the route for its easy passage as well as other materials used for the bridge construction.
The disaster has prevented most of the community residents from going about their normal activities since the only bridge linking the lower part of Pipeline Community toward the Redlight Market has been divided from the Upper side as far as the Mount Coffee Dam, has experience a crackdown.
At the same time, several students in the community could not make their way to school as a result of fears over passing through the Pipeline Creek along the route as a result of high water current.
On Wednesday, some residents were spotted forcing their way through the creek while others, terrified, made their way on a single plank placed over the open gap as a pathway.
“This is a risk and I prefer going back home when the water goes down; I will go to work tomorrow, but I am not able to cross over that plank” one area resident lamented in frustration.
MDMC Express Incorporated embarked on the construction of the bridge on the 18th of May this Year, a process that was yet be completed until the heavy downpour of rain caused a creek along the road to overflow.
In the wake of the road’s deplorable condition, as a result of the breakdown in bridge construction, residents in the community have expressed serious disappointment in the Ministry of Public Works for delay in constructing a bridge along that route since, the one constructed by YMCA years back is in a dreadful state.
Patrick Komoyan, a prominent resident of Pipeline Community and the Proprietor of Patmelia Academy School System, explained to FrontPage Africa that the situation caused by the flood is critical to the community and creates a hindrance to educational activities of the area.
“This is a critical matter and should not be taken lightly; when we were in leadership of this Community, as chairman, we constructed the old bridge but it has overstayed and our children need to be in classes”, Komoyan said.
Komoyan blamed poor leadership for the area’s current predicament and cited the inability of the government to construct tangible bridges along with pavement of the Pipeline Road as an exemplary. “Why will the government, especially delay the construction of this bridge until the rainy season before coming to fix it. If anyone of those people who are crossing over that plank mistakenly fall into that hole; what do we do”? Komoyan intoned.
Some Motorcyclists also complained that transportation is not effective for them, because the damage caused to the bridge by the flood cannot enable them move to normally.
Mark Napay said: “This problem is serious because some of us are riding bikes for people and we need to make report in the evening but I don’t think we be able to get our report Money. You can see we are not able to get to the other side and motorbikes across cannot come this way”.
The unfortunate mishap has led to opportunities for some looking to make a quick buck as some community dwellers used the situation as a means to generate money by placing planks over the dangerous path and collecting a little over $LD10 Liberian Dollars for trapped trekkers.
“This is unbearable and I need to go to sell because I have nowhere to find food for my children. We expected this bridge to be constructed ever since during the dry season but the rainy season has come now. This bridge construction will be difficult,” Ma Edith Smith, a marketer selling dry fish in Redlight Market noted.
Meanwhile, the Pipeline Community residents want the Ministry of Public Works, through MDMC Express Incorporated, the company undertaking the bridge construction to put more effort in constructing the bridge linking the Pipeline Main Road to other parts of Montserrado County.
For now, residents are hoping that the company apply other methods to control the water passage than the placement of covert within water-channel.
Willie N. Tokpah/[email protected]
