Liberia news: Gbolobo Residents Cry Out Over Lack of Safe Drinking Water

By Emmanuel Tarpeh Quiah | Contributing Writer

GBOLOBO Town, Maryland County – July 14, 2025:
Residents of Gbolobo, a rural community in Pleebo-Sodoken District, Maryland County, are facing a severe water crisis t-hat threatens their health and livelihoods.

Home to hundreds, Gbolobo suffers from a chronic lack of safe drinking water due to the absence of functional water infrastructure particularly hand pumps.

Accessing clean water has become a daily struggle for families.
Most of the hand pumps that once served the town are now broken or overstretched. As a result, residents especially women and children are forced to walk long distances to fetch water from creeks and other unprotected sources, which are often contaminated.

This exposes the community to serious health risks, including waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, and cholera.

“We get up every morning not knowing where we’ll find clean water for drinking or cooking,” said Mary Toe, a mother of five. “Our children fall sick often, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The crisis is worsened by the activities of the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP), a major agricultural company operating in the area. Local leaders claim that MOPP’s operations including deforestation and the use of chemicals have further polluted traditional water sources and reduced access to clean water.

“Our people are suffering,” said Chief Albert Sunday, a respected traditional leader. “MOPP has taken most of our land, and yet we don’t have enough hand pumps. The company’s activities have polluted our water sources, and we aren’t seeing any of the promised benefits.”

Chief Sunday is calling for immediate intervention and urging local authorities, NGOs, and MOPP itself to take urgent action. “We are calling on the government and development partners to come to our aid before things get worse,” he pleaded.

Despite the hardship, residents of Gbolobo remain hopeful that their voices will be heard. They are appealing to the government, humanitarian organizations, and private sector stakeholders to step in before the crisis deepens.

Without urgent intervention, the health and future of Gbolobo’s residents especially children and the elderly remain dangerously at risk.

Alphonso Toweh

Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets  including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and  did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters 
 He holds first  MA with honors in International  Relations and a  candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict  Resolution from the University of Liberia.