Residents of various parts of Freetown have expressed frustration over the challenges they have to go through to be able to access water. They expressed dissatisfaction at the way they say the problem has been over looked by the authorities.

A resident from Grassfield in the Eastern part of Freetown Memunatu Bundu explained that water difficulty is an age-old problem in the community. She said they get access to tap water only during the rains but that “the tap stopped running since November and will open in the coming rainy season”.

Explaining the challenges residents of the community face, Bundu said they normally fetch water from water wells and run unhygienic water under bridges. she spoke of experiencing itching skin, diarrhea, and other health issues all due to the contaminated water she drinks.

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The experience of Osman Hassan Kamara at the Hill Top community in Hill Station is not different for that of Bundu. According to him, residents’ main source of accessing water is through boreholes, with individual owners of the wells requesting money before one can fetch water. Sometimes the wells dry up, and they would have to sit and wait till the water comes up, with some people mostly kids, having to hang around late into the night, just to have some, Kamara narrated.

He said distance is also another problem, explaining he has to come down the hill and climb up which takes him 20 minutes. Commercial bikes have become very useful in transporting water for those who can afford to pay the high fares. And they charge depending on the purity of the water; those for drinking and cooking cost more than less pure water that is generally meant for laundering, flushing, or washing. The young man also mentioned that there is a Nigerian who sells water from two huge stationary tanks but said he is not consistent. He said the man brings water after a week or two, and when he does, the place is swarmed by people with jerry cans.

in the case of Moiba Community in Kissy, their problem according to Isha Mansaray is the lack of proper management of the community dam which supplies water into homes in the community. she explained that because of the dusty environment the water changes colour in the dry season. she said they have to allow the particles to settle down before they could use the water.

Mansaray noted that the water that the water problem in her community has resulted in other bigger challenges such as teenage pregnancy dropouts, accidents, etc.

This basic amenity is now a business for many; prices vary from one community to the other. According to sources, in Grassfield the price per jerry can is five hundred Leones, whilst at the Hill Top, it could be one, two or even four thousand Leones per can, depending on the purpose of the water. Residents of Moiba pay five hundred Leones for two jerry cans. In all the communities visited, the people appealed for the timely intervention of the authorities concerned, saying they are faced with a water crisis that is having a telling effect on their daily lives.

According to Politico Newspaper, despite strides to address the situation by the government and development partners through projects like the Millennium Challenge Cooperation water project to communities in Freetown, water scarcity remains a perennial problem in the Freetown Municipality and Surrounding areas.