By: Sampson W. Weah – sampsonwweah7@gmail.com
Upper Johnsonville, Liberia — Residents of Jarques Town in Upper Johnsonville are urgently appealing to the Liberian government for immediate intervention as they grapple with crumbling roads and a dire lack of access to clean drinking water.
Kula Lassana, a longtime resident, described the conditions as unbearable for families in the area.
“During the dry season, the dust makes our children sick, and there’s no nearby clinic to treat them,” she said. “We rely on wells for drinking water, but they dry up when the dry season hits.”
Jarques Town, located in Johnsonville Township, District #2, Montserrado County—just outside the capital, Monrovia—is home to hundreds of families who say they feel abandoned by the government when it comes to essential infrastructure and public health services.
Unpaved roads, contaminated water sources, and limited access to healthcare are taking a significant toll on the community, particularly on children and the elderly.
“We are suffering from the dust,” another resident said. “Our children are frequently ill. Even inside our homes, the dust settles on everything. We’re pleading with the government to fix the road and provide clean water.”
Residents report a rise in respiratory illnesses, eye infections, and other dust-related health problems during the dry season. “When the rains arrive, conditions worsen as the roads turn to mud, becoming nearly impassable and cutting off access to schools, clinics, and markets.”
Victoria Yiah, a mother of three, said the poor road conditions have severely affected her daughter’s health. “The dust caused my five-year-old to develop an eye problem. It’s painful to watch her suffer,” she said. “Paving the road would reduce the dust and improve life for all of us.”
She also voiced frustration over the frequent passage of heavy trucks through the community. “The red dirt from the trucks gets into our food and clothes. Sometimes, we can’t even eat outside.”
The residents are calling on the Ministry of Public Works and the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) to include Jarques Town in future development projects, emphasizing that access to clean water and better roads are not luxuries, but necessities.
