In rural Bong County, Liberia, a deepening water crisis is endangering hundreds of lives as communities grapple with crumbling infrastructure and contaminated water sources. Towns like Gaytayea and Gbarnga face dire conditions, with residents forced to rely on unsafe wells and streams amid failing hand pumps and limited government intervention.
In Gaytayea, part of Electoral District #1, four of five hand pumps have collapsed, leaving a single overburdened pump that frequently runs dry. Villagers trek long distances to collect water from an open well, despite knowing its risks. “The pump was likely installed at a low-capacity site,” said resident Jonah Sumo. “It dries up after just a few uses.” Town Chief Moses Dangar, who battles recurrent diarrhea, described the toll: “I fall ill multiple times a month from drinking creek water. We plead for help—this is unbearable.”
The health crisis is exacerbated by a lack of medical facilities. With no clinic in Gaytayea, residents depend on mobile drug vendors who transport medicines in unregulated conditions, often using plastic buckets without temperature control. While Liberia’s Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority warned in 2020 about the dangers of such practices—including counterfeit or degraded drugs—these vendors remain the sole healthcare option for many. “Our children fall sick every two weeks,” Dangar added. “We spend all our farming income on treatments, then starve.”
Frustration with local leadership is mounting. Dangar accused area lawmaker Prince Koinah of neglect: “He only cared during campaigns.” Nearby Gbarnga Town, home to over 500 people in Suakoko District, mirrors these struggles. Town Chief David Darwokala recounted children dying from dehydration linked to diarrhea, a consequence of relying on polluted streams.
Nationally, waterborne illnesses remain a leading killer of children under five. The Liberia Water Sanitation and Hygiene Consortium reports that 42% of under-five deaths stem from malaria and 22% from diarrhea, largely tied to unsafe water. Despite years of appeals, rural communities say successive governments have failed to deliver lasting solutions.
With the dry season approaching, fears grow that scarce water sources will dwindle further. Residents warn of escalating fatalities without urgent action, highlighting a cycle of neglect that leaves vulnerable populations trapped between disease and deprivation. As infrastructure crumbles and healthcare remains out of reach, the crisis in Bong County underscores a broader struggle for survival in Liberia’s forgotten communities.
