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Students and staff at Fourah Bay College are facing growing financial pressure as the institution’s ongoing water shortage forces many to spend extra money daily in search of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and sanitation.
The prolonged shortage, linked to the declining capacity of the Bathurst Dam and increasing demand on campus, has created serious hardship for members of the college community who now say the crisis is draining already limited incomes.
Several students told politico Newspaper that they are regularly compelled to buy water from private vendors or travel to nearby communities such as Leicester, where water is sold at around Le10 per gallon.
For many students already struggling with tuition, transportation, food, and accommodation costs, the added expense has become difficult to sustain.
“Sometimes we spend money every day just to get water. If you don’t buy it, you may not have any for the whole day,” said one student living in the hostel.
Others noted that the money being used to purchase water was originally meant for meals, study materials, or transport to lectures.
Members of staff are also feeling the strain. Ambrose Rogers said lecturers are spending both time and money trying to secure water for their homes and offices, adding that the situation is affecting productivity.
He explained that some lecturers must use fuel to drive long distances in search of water, while repeated transport of containers is also causing wear and tear on vehicles.
“Our work is time-bound. If we spend half the day looking for water, it affects our output. Fetching water is expensive and damages our vehicles,” he said.
The crisis comes at a time when many Sierra Leoneans are already grappling with the rising cost of living, making the additional burden even more severe for workers and students alike.
College authorities have reportedly attempted to ease the pressure through borehole drilling and cleaning the dam ahead of the rainy season, but many say the interventions remain insufficient.
As Fourah Bay College prepares for its bicentennial celebrations in 2027, students and staff are calling for urgent and sustainable investment in water infrastructure to reduce both hardship and the growing financial burden caused by the shortage.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/18TuCWsi4t/
