Water shortage puts residents in Paynesville at risk.
By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Monrovia, Liberia, February 25, 2025—The struggle for safe drinking water continues in Zena Hill, GSA Road Community, Paynesville. Residents allege the only water facility in the community is contaminated, exposing them to water-borne diseases.
Besides fear of contamination, the water is also being sold to residents in an alarming situation.
“To get free water here, you must come early in the morning, between 5 and 6 a.m.; besides, even when you come soon, the queue is long, and you will have to buy water,” explains Hawa Massaley, a resident.
According to her, the acute water shortage has constrained residents to pay 20 Liberian Dollars for a gallon of water.
“Here, we pay $20 LD, sometimes $25 for a gallon, just to get water for our homes. As for me, I pay 500 Liberian Dollars every two days to get five gallons of water,” another resident, Philip Sumo, adds.
According to them, their struggle for safe drinking water has continued for years. Those with the means purchase mineral water daily, while others who cannot afford to do so fetch water daily from Yankee Fresh Water in the community.
“This Water issue has stayed long, and every day is the same issue; we have even contacted our Representative Samuel Enders; nothing he has done,” Korpo Mulbah says.
The troubling situation has led to some residents fetching water from nearby wells.
The residents continued that they had engaged the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation, hoping for a solution, but so far, nothing has been done to address the scarcity.
Meanwhile, water from Yankee Fresh Water, the only source of water in the Zena Hill community, is posing a health threat to residents.
They say that while it is true that water helps them, it also spreads diseases because it is not properly treated.
They disclose that the facility’s owner pumps the water directly from a well far from the main water station. From there, it travels through several pumps without any purification or treatment.
Eventually, the untreated water is stored in a poly tank and sold to the community for consumption.
One resident notes, “Yankee Fresh Water is the only source of getting water, but it’s spreading diseases transmitted through water.” Many others echo similar concerns, stressing that the water is unsafe and poses serious health risks to everyone who uses it.
The constant demand for water from this single facility further highlights the dire need for a better solution.
Zena Hill residents are calling on the government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other relevant authorities to intervene and provide the community with safe, purified drinking water.
The residents are seeking help and hoping for action that will deliver clean water to their homes and improve their health and well-being. Editing by Jonathan Browne.
