LOCAL NEWS
WEE STATUTORY DISTRICT – A severe water crisis has hit Wesseh Town in Wee Statutory District, Grand Bassa County, forcing residents to drink from swamp water widely deemed unsafe.
Wesseh Town lies less than a 30-minute drive from Compound #3, the local administrative headquarters of Wee Statutory District in Grand Bassa County’s 4th Electoral District, represented by Alfred H. Flomo in the House of Representatives.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Residents told Liberia Excellent News Network (LENN) that since its establishment in the 1900s, the town has grappled with unsafe drinking water—an issue they say continues to threaten the health of many, especially children, who make up a significant portion of the population.
One resident, identified as Gorma, said: “we live here for years now since I was a child. It is that water in the swamp that we drink from. We do not feel good drinking from the swamp but we do not know what to do. Nobody to help us. We are suffering.”
Ma. Gorma, as she is affectionately called, is in her early 50s. She believes many of the community’s health complications stem from the stagnant nature of the water.
“When the dry season comes, it is complete mud that we bring home and call it water. You can smell the mud whenever you drink the water. We need a hand pump here because it is not an easy thing for us,” she said in a disappointing tone.
A mother of eight, she depends on subsistence farming for survival. “For me, the only thing my husband and I can do or know how to do is farming. We lived here from the time we were kids and today the challenges still exist. Only God we depend on now to survive.”
Most residents of Wesseh Town rely on subsistence farming, while others work as local rubber farmers. The phrase “survival of the fittest” is highly applicable here, as young men and the elderly set out daily on farming journeys year-round to feed their households and extended families.
At the community’s main water source, a young man identified as Elijah Gbotee expressed anger over the lack of safe drinking water and what he described as years of inaction by elected leaders.
“This place is not far from Compound #3. See where our women and children draw (fetch) water from. We don’t know what to do. We are unable to fix a hand pump because we do not know how to do it and we do not have materials. This is what we are going through,” he said, his voice trembling.
Wesseh Town Drinking Water Site
Mr. Gbotee, in his late 30s, believes the water is unsafe. “You see how this water is set in a single location and not flowing like it shows be, I think it is not safe. We are drinking from it because we need water. But to be honest with you, it is not a good water.”
He added that young people are willing to find solutions to the crisis but lack the resources, logistics, and technical know-how, and is appealing for intervention from both county authorities and the central government.
Johnstone Sumo, a retired medical practitioner who has returned home, said the crisis predates even his birth. Having lived in Wesseh Town from childhood into adulthood before pursuing higher education across Liberia, he noted that little has changed over the years.
“I lived here from my youth days until adult. Left to acquire education and I worked as a medical practitioner but now I a retired. This water situation begun long, long time ago when we were not event born. It is a crisis that we are unable to resolve by ourselves and we need help from our leaders,” he said.
According to Mr. Sumo, who is also a senior elder, successive local and national leaders have neglected the community as the water crisis persists. He explained that during the dry season, the swamp often dries up, leaving residents—particularly women and children—to travel long distances in search of water.
“You see here, this water will get dry when the dry season comes. By that time, we will have nowhere to get water. Our women and children will have to travel far distances to get water. It is a situation we have suffered from for years.”
Elder Sumo further noted that many residents, especially children, suffer from waterborne diseases, while other health complications continue to rise. Although no official medical report was available to verify his claims, several residents said clinics and health facilities in Compound #3 have confirmed such cases.
Liberia Excellent News Network observed an old hand pump in Wesseh Town, now out of use. Residents said it was constructed by the National Red Cross Society in the early 2000s. Today, it stands as a silent symbol of neglect, with not a drop of water flowing from it.
A Pump Constructed by Red Cross in Early 2000s
Residents say they are in desperate need of a reliable source of safe drinking water for a town with a large population and limited opportunities, particularly for women, the elderly, and young people.
