Monrovia, Liberia – The WHO and UNICEF 2023 Joint Monitoring Programme Report on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) revealed that in Liberia, 76% of the 5 million population had access to basic water, with a collection time of not more than 30 minutes for a round-trip. This left over 1.1 million people without access to basic drinking water. Target 6.1 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically emphasizes the achievement of universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.
To achieve the 2030 target, the Government of Liberia must prioritize and significantly improve water access for its citizens. Notably, diarrheal diseases, maternal disorders, neonatal disorders, and malnutrition among the top ten causes of death in Liberia, are all associated with poor access to and quality of water. This is according to the 2020 Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation report: https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/20-ihme-visuals-published-2020. These cases are particularly prevalent in rural settings, disproportionately affecting women, children, people living with disabilities, and the elderly.
With a commitment to support the government roll back these dire conditions mainly in rural Montserrado whose WASH condition is alarming, WaterAid Liberia over the weekend turned over a state-of-the-art water facility in the Back Camp Community, Todee District to benefit approximately 3,000 residents within Back Camp and nearby communities, with funding from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This initiative is expected to drastically reduce the time required to access clean water and provide an affordable and sustainable solution to water needs, said Junior Nelson, Back Camp Community Chief.
Todee, with a population of 49,361, is the largest district in Montserrado County in geographical coverage. It grapples with limited access to WASH services, particularly affecting those residing in hard-to-reach communities like Back Camp. This community is characterized by a dearth of basic social services, including poor road conditions, lack of school and healthcare facilities, and inadequate hygiene infrastructure among others. Consequently, women, children and people living with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable, often having to traverse long distances through challenging terrain to access basic water, toilets, and hygiene facilities.
Annie Forkpa, a resident”, underscored the transformative change by the new water system, stating, “Before WaterAid brought the big water house for us, we suffered for water business, especially during the dry season. The well and pumps here usually run dry and this compelled us to fetch water from other unsafe sources.”
Powered by solar energy, the new water supply system has a capacity of 2000 gallons, with three separate water collection points, including the central collection point at the Water tower and positioned at strategic locations in the community, with multiple taps to serve many people including nearby residents.
Acting WaterAid County Director, Mohammed Massaley, reported that the bigger plan is to connect individual households so that the residents can have safe water at their doorstep. The initiative is a component of WaterAid’s rural WASH project titled “Improve Equitable and Sustainable Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Rural Communities and Schools,” implemented in Todee District, targeting 13,375 people across 14 communities and 5 schools over one year, from October 2023 to September 2024.
A total of 5,987 people in 12 communities and 2 schools were reached with clean and safe water, while 981 students and school staff gained access to modern pour-flush toilet facilities with menstrual hygiene management (MHM) features. At the same time, 7,120 individuals were reached with key hygiene messages in 14 communities and 6 schools – termed as an “exceeded target” by Todee District Superintendent, Emmanuel David. He credited these results to the funding opportunity by from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the good implementation approach by WaterAid.
Meanwhile, the Liberia National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC) commended the design of the facility and expressed interest in adopting it in the upcoming National WASH Plan for Liberia due to its effectiveness. Philip Mckay, NWASHC Director for Project Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation, lauded the design and emphasized, “with just a turn of the faucet, you will experience real-time pressure, clean, and cold water, reducing wait time and increasing supply.”
Assistant Public Works Minister for Community Services, Albert Toukolon reiterated the government’s intention to replicate the WaterAid’s design, stating, “this sets the standard for water access that we aspire to achieve. We will work to improve upon this for the benefit of our citizens.”
For David Kolleh, this marks a big fulfilment of a long-held dream. This 83-year-old grandfather tragically lost 3 of 5 sons to waterborne diseases. “I still see people suffer from waterborne diseases. It is my wish that no parent in Back Camp experiences this situation with their child. I want the younger generation to live healthy and happy. Thanks to WaterAid for their big role in helping to make my dream come to reality by providing this water facility.”
Even with ongoing efforts by WaterAid and other development partners to improve Todee’s WASH condition, significant challenges persist. According to the 2017 water point mapping conducted by the Government led by the National WASH Secretariate together with the Ministry of Public Works, there are only 131 protected water sources that are serving 403 communities including 7 healthcare facilities, and 64 schools. Protected water sources are those that have been safeguarded from contamination by physical, chemical, and biological effects. This indicates that the ratio of communities with access to these quality water sources is 3 to 1. Residents of Back Camp, however, now have access to a more sustainable water facility for the first time all by themselves.
Richard K. Flomo, the Project Management Committee (PMC) Chairperson, stated that they are committed to take full ownership and maintain the facility’s operation.
We agreed to collect users’ fees and fines, implement stringent security and hygiene measures, and utilize the expertise of WaterAid-trained pump technicians to carry out minor repairs among other measures”- Flomo.
After the official dedication, many residents, mainly women and children hurried to get the first taste of the refreshing water from the facility.
In the context of the government’s Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism (ARREST) agenda, there is a growing concern about the prioritization of WASH. Shockingly, the Senate has already removed the meager USD$150,000, the only allocation for WASH in the 2024 National Budget. The government’s contribution to WASH is significantly low at merely 4.3 per cent of the total sector allocation, and the balance 95.7 per cent met through donor funding. (https://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/sites/default/files/202207/2022%20Country%20Overview Liberia.pdf)
In its 2023 – 2028 country program strategy for Liberia, WaterAid expressed the belief that poor WASH conditions in Todee District can be improved if there is strong and active leadership that prioritizes and mobilizes adequate resources. The organization advocates for WASH services to be sustainable, safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient, coupled with good and consistent hygiene, sanitation, and water use behaviours in Todee.
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit organization determined to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The organization has been operating in Liberia since 2019 as part of a transboundary country program in Sierra Leone.
The 2000gallons water storage water facility handed over to Back Camp Community, Todee District, on Oct 4 2024. 83-year-old grandfather, David Kolleh, who lost 3 of 5 sons to waterborne diseases, praises WaterAid for enhancing clean water access to his community. Both gov’t, civil society organizations and WaterAid dedicate the WaterAid facility.
Reported by: Simeon S Wiakanty
Contact: +231881538878
