WERBLOE TOWN, Bearwor Administrative District, Rivercess County – Residents of Werbloe Town in Bearwor Administrative District, Rivercess County, are appealing to the Government of Liberia, humanitarian organizations, and development partners to provide safe drinking water, as the community continues to struggle with an acute water crisis that is threatening the health and well-being of more than 500 inhabitants.
Sitting in front of his three-bedroom home, Town Chief Francis Sawah expressed deep concern over the future of his community, noting that residents have been left with no reliable source of clean drinking water after the town’s only hand pump broke down approximately five years ago.
According to Chief Sawah, the damaged hand pump has never been repaired due to the community’s limited financial capacity, leaving residents with no option but to depend on nearby creeks and running streams for their daily water needs.
“The hand pump has been damaged for about five years now, and since then, over 500 residents have been relying on creek water,” Chief Sawah told this newspaper.
Reaching Werbloe Town requires crossing the Cestos River and trekking for nearly three hours through dense rainforest and rugged roads, highlighting the remoteness of the community and the challenges associated with delivering basic services.
Chief Sawah explained that the situation becomes even more critical during the dry season, when the creek that serves as the town’s primary water source dries up, forcing women and children to walk long distances through the forest in search of water.
He said residents have made several attempts to raise funds to repair the damaged hand pump, but their efforts have fallen short because the community depends almost entirely on subsistence farming for survival.
“Our people have contributed what little they can, but it is not enough to repair the hand pump. Farming is our only source of income,” he added.
At the community creek, 24-year-old resident Marthaline Wayonwon said the ongoing water crisis has significantly increased the risk of waterborne diseases while making life more difficult for residents.
Speaking while fetching water alongside an elderly woman and a child, Wayonwon recounted how her own child was recently discharged from the Po River Clinic after suffering from severe diarrhea, which she believes resulted from drinking contaminated creek water.
“My child was discharged from the Po River Clinic yesterday after suffering from serious stomach running because of the different kinds of creek and running water we drink,” she said.
Residents say the lack of access to safe drinking water continues to expose children and adults to preventable illnesses, while placing an additional burden on women and children who spend hours each day searching for water.
The people of Werbloe Town are now calling on the government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to urgently intervene by rehabilitating the damaged hand pump or constructing a new safe water facility to improve public health and ease the hardship faced by the community.
