Two hand pumps once installed by NGOs have long broken down, forcing residents to rely on untreated water from creeks and streams for drinking, cooking, and washing.
ZOR GEIPA, Nimba County – More than 3,000 residents of Zor Geipa, a remote town in Yekepa District, Nimba County, are forced to walk 30 minutes each day to fetch water from an unsafe creek – their only source of drinking water – putting them at constant risk of waterborne diseases.
By Williet Wonyenneh, contributing writer
Perched beneath the East Nimba Reserved Forest, Zor Geipa lies in the home county of Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung and Senators Samuel Kogar and Nyan Twayen. Yet, locals say they have been without safe drinking water for years, with broken hand pumps left unrepaired and no toilet facilities in the town.
“We often get sick because of the creek,” said resident Prince Gbormie. “During the dry season it dries up, and when the rains come, the whole town suffers from diarrhea.”
Two hand pumps once installed by NGOs have long broken down, forcing residents to rely on untreated water from creeks and streams for drinking, cooking, and washing.
Samuel Zarwolo, another resident, stressed that the situation worsens during the rainy season when heavy rains pollute the creek. “Our hand pumps are not working. We have no choice but to use creek water for drinking and cooking,” he said.
For pregnant mother Cecelia M. Suah, the problem is particularly dire. “I have no choice. I drink, bathe, wash, and cook with this unsafe water,” she said.
Two hand pumps once installed by NGOs have long broken down, forcing residents to rely on untreated water from creeks and streams for drinking, cooking, and washing.
The lack of clean water and sanitation has become a serious public health concern in Nimba and across Liberia. According to UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme (2017),
In Liberia, government funding for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) remains critically low, with the sector heavily dependent on donor support. According to the 2023 UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report, one in four Liberians lacks access to clean water close to home, eight in ten do not have access to a decent toilet, and at least nine in ten live without soap and/or water for handwashing at home.
Amid these stark statistics, residents are appealing to the Liberian government and humanitarian organizations for urgent action—calling for the installation of functional hand pumps and the improvement of sanitation facilities nationwide.
