By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
KARLOKEN, PLEEBO, Liberia- Residents of Dikpiliken in Maryland County District 3 in Karluway are calling on WASH NGOs and the government of Liberia to erect hand pump in the area to provide them safe drinking water.
Dikpiliken, a town bordering River Gee County along the Cavalla River with an estimated population of more than 160 residents, was established in the 50s as a traditional community. And it is situated over 611 kilometers southeast of Monrovia.
According to Dikpiliken Town Chief, Solomon Hinneh, as the area lacks hand pump, the Cavalla River which was previously used for cooking, washing and other home purposes, is being contaminated by miners using dredge.
Chief Hinneh warns that if nothing is done to rescue inhabitants from the lack of safe drinking water, he fears the outbreak of running stomach and other water bond diseases especially during this year’s rainy season.
According to him, there are many dredges mining in the river on the Nyaanken Border, which is being contaminated with fuel oil, which makes it difficult to use the water for domestic purpose.
“We are unable to cook, wash and do some other things with the river water today as the result of the dredge mining at the upper part of the river,” Chief Hinneh said in an interview.
He lamented that the absence of safe drinking water has over the years posed a serious health threat to residents of town, who usually have to trek for more than three hours to the Nyaanken Clinic in River Gee County to seek medical treatment.
He told www.newspublictrust.com in an interview that they have on several occasions engaged NGOs and past and present authorities of Maryland County who promised to build hand pump for them, but to no avail up to now.
Residents of this town, majority of whom he said are surviving on farming, have to walk at least ten minutes distance to fetch drinking water from Creeks over the years.