Residents of Saybah Town in Bong County District Two are raising alarm over more than six decades of reliance on unsafe drinking water, a situation they say has led to continuous health problems and untold suffering for families especially women and children. According to the community, despite consistently voting for influential leaders, including their current representative, Hon. James Kolleh Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, Order and Administration the town has never had access to clean and safe drinking water.
Residents say the long-standing water crisis has left many vulnerable to diarrhea, skin infections, and malaria, illnesses they link directly to the contaminated water sources on which they depend. Town elder Flomo T. Saybah described the situation as both dangerous and heartbreaking. He noted that the problem intensifies during the rainy season, when runoff from surrounding areas flows into the community’s only well, bringing dirt and waste along with it. “Since this town was established in 1958, we have been drinking from the same unsafe well. For more than 60 years, we have suffered without clean water.
Our children are getting sick, and our women struggle daily just to fetch water,” he lamented. Residents say they feel abandoned and marginalized, considering the level of political leadership the district has produced over the years. They believe that access to clean water should not be a privilege but a basic right owed to every Liberian, regardless of location. The people of Saybah Town are therefore calling on Representative Kolleh, the Government of Liberia, humanitarian organizations, and development partners to intervene urgently by installing a hand pump or constructing a modern water system for the community.
They argue that no community should endure such conditions in 2025. “This is a simple but life-saving request,” a youth leader said. “We are only asking for clean water so our children can grow up healthy.” Residents remain hopeful that their appeal will receive the attention and swift action needed to end the long-standing water crisis in Saybah Town.
