Adama Ceesay Reporting from CRR
Information reaching this medium has it that the residents of Njaley Samba, a village in Niani District Central River Region North, have been hit with a serious water shortage as their only open well became muddy and unfit for human consumption.
According to information, residents of the village travel to Njoro and Kaba in the Republic of Senegal, to get water and the distance covered is over 3 and 8 kilometers respectively. Upon receiving the information, this reporter visited the village to ascertain the veracity of the report.
Upon arrival at the village, this reporter was informed by residents that their only source of portable water, is unfit for drinking as the water is full of mud. According to villagers, they travel to Senegal and buy water for D5 per 20 litre container, and this is fueling their poverty. Penda Bah a villager, indicated that the water crisis in the village is a cause for concern because the problem is not seasonal but all year round. She said during the rainy season, the well gets full; that this renders the water unfit for drinking; that during the dry season, the well becomes dry and muddy. This she said is the reason why they cannot use the well throughout the year. Mrs. Bah noted that the water crisis is not only impacting negatively on their health and income but also on their draught animals.
Penda pointed out that they rely on their draught animals for agricultural activities during the rainy season and due to the water crisis in the village, they are as well using their draught animals to get water from Senegal; that the animals also need to rest.
The Alkalo of the village, Mr. Demba Bah, said the water crisis in the village is alarming and called on Government, Non-Governmental Organisations and philanthropists, to come to their aid because no human being can live without water.
Other speakers in the village shared the same view but added that the water crisis was reported to the former Government and that in the just concluded National Assembly Election, all the candidates vying for the seat were informed of the water crisis in the village.
