WATER PROBLEM ADDS TO FREETOWN’S MISERY
Residents of the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, have another problem on their hands : Water. For the past week or so, the city has been encountering serious problems with water and now ressidents have been lining up to buy packaged water.
The problem was first highlighted last week when a local newspaper provided pictures to show that the water level at the Guma Valley Dam had gone down dramatically. By then, residents of some parts of the city had started experiencing low water pressure. The situation would be worse in the morning when the water pressure would be so low that it was impossible for all members of households leaving for work or school to bathe. Some residents told our reporters that they preferred to bathe before going to bed so that they would still be fresh to go to work in the morning.
By Tuesday, the water pressure had increased but the taps were running red and dirty water which was unfit for bathing , drinking or cooking. The water was so unfit for use that residents in some sections of the city abandoned the taps and lined up to buy packaged water. We will bring you more details.
Truth crushed to the ground will rise again.
KOFI ANNAN FOR FREETOWN NEXT MONDAY
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, will arrive in Freetown, Sierra Leone on Monday July 3, as part of his mini-West African tour.
During his stay in Freetown, the UN Chief will provide essential boost for the Sierra Leone Special Court by visiting the tribunal which has been trying those deemed as bearing the greatest responsibility for the atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone civil war. Annan will also visit with the scaled down UN Peace-Keeping operations in the country.
Mr. Annan’s visit comes at a time when Sierra Leoneans are becoming increasingly convinced that the withdrawal of most of the soldiers of the peacekeeping was premature , especially with high-tension General Elections slated to be held in the country next year.
Though the civil war has ended , peace in Sierra Leone is still fragile and already events in Bo, Kenema and Kono have flashed danger signs that the forthcoming elections could lead to the resumption of hostilities , this time between supporters of the main political parties
