Guma Valley Water Company warns that deforestation and encroachment threaten Freetown’s water supply
On World Environment Day 2026, Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) issues a stark warning: the Western Area’s water security is at risk. An assessment carried out from 4 December 2025 to 8 January 2026 found widespread deforestation, unregulated settlement expansion, and encroachment across key catchments that supply Freetown and surrounding communities. While the Guma and Kongo Dam catchments remain critical to the system, human pressure is eroding their natural protection, with forest loss reported around Mile 13, Baw Baw, No. 2 River, Tacugama, and other border communities; in some cases, settlements are now only a few hundred metres from critical infrastructure.
Smaller sources are in even worse condition. Angola Upper and Lower Weirs have been extensively cleared and built up; Mamba Ridge is severely degraded; Charlotte Weir has effectively ceased to function as a water source; and Hastings, Thunder Hill, White Water (Botanical Garden FBC) and Blue Water (Wellington) are increasingly vulnerable.
The assessment also recorded bacteriological contamination linked to nearby settlements and poor sanitation, raising treatment costs and public health risks. Continued catchment loss will reduce groundwater recharge and streamflow, increase sedimentation and flood risk, degrade water quality, harm biodiversity, and weaken climate resilience, with communities being the ultimate losers.
The GVWC advocates for coordinated, decisive action, including stronger law enforcement and land administration, halting protected-area encroachment, community-led reforestation and sustainable land use, improved waste management, public education, and investment in catchment restoration, monitoring, and climate-resilient infrastructure. The company stresses that protecting forests is not optional but essential to securing water, health and development for future generations.
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