Sierra Leone News:As water crisis intensifies….I spend more than the usual water rate – consumer complains

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As water crisis intensifies, a resident of Freetown has said that she spends more in securing safe drinking water than she would have spent on water rate if they were accessing water at an easy and regular manner. Jane, a private employee, also a housewife and a mother, living in the Eastern part of Freetown, told this medium in an interview on Wednesday that “accessing water in that part of the city is a huge challenge”. She said she has a tap in the compound where she lives but the tap is not running and that since she is an employee she uses packets of water to do her domestic work. “I use about six bundles of packet water daily which cost a total of about Le 18,000 (eighteen thousand Leones). This I do because my job could not permit me to monitor those who go out to fetch the water. The amount I will pay them to do the job is equivalent to the amount I spend on packet water and I am not even sure if they will get me clean water,” she lamented. Jane went on to say that “this is my way of preventing health hazard; I want to ensure that my family access safe and clean water,” adding that though she has a niece who can assist her fetch water, she does not allow her to do so because she wants to protect her from sexual abuse and becoming a drop out. Another resident who shared his story on the challenges of accessing water is Unisa, a fourth year Senior Secondary School (SSS) pupil of the Government Model Secondary School. He explained that he fetches at least twenty-five jerry cans of water daily. “I live at Liverpool Street. I wake up at 3:00 am every day to fetch water at Circular Road and even there the tap is always over crowded. Though it is a public tap, we pay two hundred Leones (Le200) per jerry can.” Using a push-cart locally called “omolankay” to transport the gallons of jerry can to Liverpool Street and having spent about four hours at the tap, the pupil said he usually felt very tired to read his books. Like Jane and Unisa, the story is similar for the people of Freetown. Even with those in the rural communities around the city there is no difference, as they too have to travel long distances to fetch water. At the same time, they pay five hundred Leones (Le500) per jerry can for the water they fetch. Although they had little comfort from accessing well-water in their communities, they too seem to be losing hope as there is the likelihood that there will be a delay in rainfall this year and the water wells are drying up gradually. By Edna Smalle Thursday May 12, 2016

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