Residents of Karyata Town in Bong County are grappling with a critical public health emergency as they constantly consume contaminated water, making them highly vulnerable to a threat of waterborne diseases.
This dire situation is exacerbated by widespread open defecation, as the town struggles to secure adequate sanitation facilities.
Karyata serves as the headquarters of Kpoyorquelleh Clan in Jorquelleh District 3 and has a population of over four thousand residents, according to a recent headcount conducted by the town’s leadership.
However, the lack of hand pumps and sufficient latrine facilities has created pressing health concerns for residents of the community.
In an interview with residents, Town Chief Flomo Sibley, highlighted numerous challenges related to water and sanitation. “The town currently lacks hand pumps and public latrines,” he stated.
Residents are forced to rely on open wells and creeks for drinking and other domestic uses.
Chief Sibley lamented, “We are left with no other alternatives but to fetch water from these sources for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other needs.”
With insufficient access to clean water, the situation is further worsened as the majority of Karyata’s residents engage in open defecation due to a severe lack of latrine facilities as well. Chief Sibley pointed out, “Over 80% of men and women in Karyata use the nearby bush to defecate while teenage children openly defecate in the town.”
He emphasized the visible consequences of this crisis, stating, “When you go around this town, you will see human feces scattered around. We don’t have good hand pumps here for drinking water.”
Historically, the town had three hand pumps, but all have reportedly broken down, leaving residents to drink and use unsafe water. Chief Sibley is now appealing to the Government of Liberia and non-governmental organizations to construct water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities, including hand pumps and public latrines, for the community.
On the issue of public latrines in the town, a resident of the town, George M. Kollie, disclosed that, “There was a public toilet built in the town before. An NGO called BCABT constructed a public pit-latrine in the town, but it has been damaged for over 10 years.”
He added that the town lacked the financial capability to reconstruct the damaged toilet structure, thus leaving them without a public latrine.
The implications of open defecation are severe, as it contaminates drinking water sources and contributes to the spread of debilitating diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and dysentery.
The World Health Organization estimates that inadequate sanitation leads to approximately 432,000 diarrhea-related deaths annually.
Elizabeth Tokpah, a resident of Karyata, recounted her daily struggle, saying, “I walk for over thirty minutes from my house to a nearby creek in order to fetch water for drinking and cooking.” She emphasized that women and children bear the brunt of this crisis, noting, “When we drink this water, we can get sick, but this is the only place we can get drinking water from. It is not safe, but what can we do?”
Elizabeth further expressed concerns about the quality of the water, stating, “When the rain falls, erosion carries the dirt and everything from the bush and deposit them into the stream, but we are forced to drink it because we don’t have single hand pumps here.”
The crisis continues to escalate in Liberia, with Elizabeth affirming, “Only a few people have toilets in this town. The other people can go in the bush; that’s one of the problems we are facing here.”
Furthermore, poor sanitation is impacting children of school-going-age in the area.
The principal of the only public primary school in Karyata, Arthur Wolantha, voiced concerns about the school’s lack of adequate latrine facilities.
He described the current pit-latrine as “unhealthy and dangerous for the safety of the pupils” and appealed for assistance in constructing a modern toilet facility on the school’s campus.
Despite the challenges, there are gleams of hope on the horizon as community leaders and government officials emphasize the need for urgent action on WASH initiatives to safeguard the health of Karyata’s residents.
The time for comprehensive intervention is now, as safe drinking water and sanitation remain crucial for the wellbeing of this vulnerable community.
Many people in rural communities are living by the mercy of God, as the lack of safe drinking water and latrine rock these communities.
According to UNICEF, Liberia has abundant water resources, but close to 90% of its population has limited access to safe drinking water.
Recently serving as a facilitator at a two-day WASH reporting training organized by Internews in Liberia, the managing director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) Mohammed Ali, disclosed that only six counties’ capitals outside Monrovia and its immediate environs have been earmarked to have pipe borne water.
The cities include Buchanan, Kakata, Zwedru, Tubmanburg, Voinjama and Sanniquelleh. According to Ali, the entity is not fully implementing its constitutional mandate due to low budgetary allocations.
Compounding these sanitation issues, the Kpoyorquelleh clan headquarters also lacks a health facility, forcing residents to seek medical attention at the distant Phebe Hospital.
This journey incurs costs, with residents like Elizabeth and Chief Sibley reporting that they pay approximately 1,000 Liberian dollars for transportation.
Efforts are underway by the Bong County administration to complete a clinic project initiated by former Senator Henrique Tokpa, a native of the town.
The construction is funded through the County Social Development Fund, with US$25,000 allocated during the 2018 County Sitting for the Karyata Clinic project.
Out of that amount, US$15,000 was already disbursed to the contractor, Sesay Brothers Inc. During a recent visit to Karyata, on August 17, 2024, Senator Prince Moye, assured residents that the project would be completed within three months.
He formed a committee to raise additional funds for the project and instructed Superintendent Hawa Norris to expedite the payment to the contractor. By Wilmot Konah-(Internews Liberia 2024 Water and Sanitation Reporting Fellowship.
