By Tokpa Tarnue tarnue82@gmail.com
The lack of safe drinking water is in shortly supply in several parts of Liberia’s northwestern Lofa County, with locals in Zenalormia town raising serious concerns about serious health threat.
With a population of close to a thousand inhabitants, most of whom are women and children, Zenolormia is some 20 kilometers away from the County’s capital, voinjama city.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says Liberia’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been left in ruins by years of civil conflict.
“55% of schools in Liberia do not have access to a functional water supply. 43% of schools do not have access to functional latrines and 82% of the schools do not have handwashing facilities,” a UNICEF report says.
According to the citizens of Zenolormia town, they have been faced with this situation for the past two years now.
Speaking to this Reporter on Thursday at an open stream referred to as “Tolbert water” where they fetch drinking water on a daily basis, the citizens described the lack of safe drinking water as a serious health threat to them.
Weddor Zuba, a mother of two, in a worried mood explained how often her children come down with running stomach and other water-borne diseases as a result of the contaminated water.
Another mother, Vargular Yawah said they have been faced with this situation is for a long time and wants agent intervention by government and other humanitarian organizations.
According to her, this is causing them to spend almost all of their incomes on the health situation of their children as mothers.
Some other citizens also told this paper that during the raining season the same water is used for defecation by some unscrupulous individuals of the very town.
For his part, J. Augustine Joygbeh Town Chief of Zenalormai disclosed that the three hand pumps constructed some years were all damaged and that some repair works were done on the three pumps.
But he said that they are completely out of use at the moment.
This situation is not just affecting the ordinary citizens but also health workers assigned at the Zenalormia clinic.
Wheremee Jarnda, who is the Officer in Charged at the health facility, told this writer that the lack of safe drinking water in the town is one major factor for the increase in water borne diseases.
According to OIC Jarnda, this situation has been reported to the county Health Team of several occasions but that they are yet to get redress concerning the situation.
Zenalormia is the home of the newly elected Chairman of the Lofa County Legislative Caucus, Senator Stephen J. H. Zargo.
Many believe that his acendency to the position as chair person of the county legislative caucus will help save his people from more water born diseases.
The situation they also believe that if not addressed urgently may lead to the outbreak of diarrhea.