By Brian Myers
The Moyiba Community is in dire need of pure drinking water as encroachment by people around a water reservoir constructed in 2009 under a WASH project has rendered it useless.
“The water crisis is a major problem,” said Ibrahim Sesay, interim chairman of the community. He went on to say that due to the population of the community that has exceeded 40,000, and the building of houses around the reservoir, water can no longer be accessed with people having to rely on few boreholes in the community. He said the government should provide them with pipe borne water.
John Conteh- Secretary, Community Development Committee in Moyiba told Politico that they have seen an increase in waterborne diseases as they only use the well water available for cooking and washing. They have to buy produced water in sachets for drinking, which he said is not a viable option since most residents are unable to purchase sachet water. This has led to a lot of sickness.
He said that during the rainy season, the water concentration in the reservoir causes flooding and during the dry season, the dam and some water wells dry up.
Conteh, therefore pleads with the government and non-governmental organisations to assist them with water to meet their needs, saying they are suffering.
“There is no clean water in the community and it has led to an alarming increase in water borne diseases” , said Jamestina Sia Bayoh community Organizing secretary.
Bayoh further stated that the reservoir is not well organized and taken care of , leading to the current situation with the running water from it in the rains being used for washing and laundry.
She said the alternative for residents unable to purchase processed water is for them to use water from bore wells, which are mostly contaminated.
Residents of the community lamented their constraints in their daily lives due to the lack of sustainable water management solutions, saying it is a common occurrence for them to go for days without pure water and just have to drink the water available. They called on the government to step in.
