Residents of Lumbebu community struggling to get from the old pipes
BY PAUL LAMIN IN KENEMA
The people of Kenema and its surroundings, as in many other communities across the country, are experiencing acute water and electricity shortage following the launching of the Three Towns water project by the then APC government with funds by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Sierra Leone some times last year.
Residents of Kenema and its environs have referred to the project as a white elephant project, hurriedly commissioned by the opposition All People’s Congress party to score political gains ahead of the just concluded March elections.
A resident of Burma 3 in Kenema City, Moses Bobor Alpha, who spoke through this medium, said since 2014 when underground pipe works started most of the old pipes were removed by the Chinese company and, according to them, there has been an acute shortage as water has not passed through the new pipe lines.
Moses Alpha stated that people, especially women and children, wake up early in the morning looking for water sources as most of the water wells have dried out. He said that the Burma community has suffered water shortage for the past months since this year started and the Sierra Leone Water Company SALWACO is not doing anything about the problem and even the old pipes are burst where water oozes out on major streets in the city.
He called on the new SLPP government under the New Direction on President Bio to speedily intervene and solve the water crisis in the provinces.
It could be noted that few months back doctors at the Pediatric Unit of the Kenema Government Hospital recorded high incidents of diarrhoea and dysentery cases which, according to one Community Health Officer CHO at the hospital, is caused by drinking of contaminated water due to shortage of good drinking water sources.
The Manager of Kamboi Agriculture Radio, FM 92.3, in Kenema, Mohamed Mansaray, said the shortage of water is due to the illegal cutting down of trees and other activities taking place in Kamboi Hills which is the main source of water where the dams are located.
Mohamed Mansaray said a lot of people are going scot-free whenever they are arrested in the Kambio Hills doing illegal activities in the forest because of their connectivity to traditional rulers or stakeholders.
Many people who spoke to this medium said they are not happy with the management of both SALWACO and EDSA especially the EDSA where the regional engineer/manager Peter Venda continues to enjoy light on regular basis at the disadvantage of the general masses who pay the workers of the Company through their taxes.