MONROVIA, Montserrado – Duannah Kamara, Liberia’s Water and Sewer Corporation’s managing director, says the entity is losing 78 percent of processed water to leakages and illegal connection.

He did not state how much in dollars that amounted to, but Kamara said the losses were taking away much needed revenues from the agency.

To address the problem, the managing director said a pilot project is expected to be launched shortly to determine legitimate customers of LWSC.

“Our aim is not to intimidate the citizenry, but we want those illegally receiving water from the LWSC to regularize their status,” he said.

Kamara recognized that many illegal connections occur with the assistance of LWSC employees and called on them who are in the business of illegal connections to desist, adding “it is now time to be honest.”

Even as the entity attributes loss of water to leakages, LWSC is at fault for allowing some of those leakages to go unmitigated, even when customers report the issues on time.

A burst water pipe in the Old Road community. Photo: Zeze Ballah

Sometimes, those leakages occur as a result of an apparent lack of coordination among government agencies, as construction equipment rehabilitating roads across Monrovia have often damaged water pipes, causing water outage in communities for weeks.

As a result of the action, residents in the affected areas are compelled to fetch water from the various wells within their community. The leakages at times continue for several days and weeks leading the water flooding the community.

Children play near water pipes broken by uncoordinated construction. Photo: Zeze Ballah

At one of such sites visited by The Bush Chicken, children were seen bathing and playing in the water while motorcyclists washed their bikes on one side of the road.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah