By: Linda Gbartie
MONROVIA: The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), has gotten tough aimed at generating payment of more than US$7m owed by institutions, some of whom are government ministries, agencies and commissions.
The LWSC has disclosed that by next week, it will embark on disconnecting government entities that are indebted to it.
The disclosure was made by the Managing Director of LWSC, Mohammed Ali, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), Regular Press Briefing in Monrovia.
Speaking on progress made at the LWSC under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai 100 Days Deliverables, Mr. Ali said, like every other government entity, the LWSC, inherited lots of problems, starting with over staffing of the entity, huge indebtedness, among others.
Mr. Ali indicated that the corporation currently has a liability profile of over US$7 Million which involves indebtedness including staff arrears of 7-9 months, retirees pension arrears of 29 months, local vendors debts of over US$1 million, and social security withholding contributions of over US$1 million.
According to him, the corporation also inherited the problem of customers including businesses, companies, government entities and individuals refusing to pay bills for both water and sewer services provided.
The LWSC Boss highlighted that the indebtedness, coupled with water theft and wastage, are costing the entity 70% in non-revenue water.
Mr. Ali mentioned that over the last week, the Corporation embarked on a massive disconnection exercise.
“Some of the companies that owe us huge sums of money, we are disconnecting them. Companies and businesses that owe us huge money, we disconnected them and blocked their sewer lines, and they started paying including private individuals,” he said.
He also informed the Minister of Information, Jerolinmek M. Piah, by next week, the Corporation will embark on disconnecting government entities that owe the entity.
Mr. Ali emphasized that they will also place focus on current and passed government officials, and members of the Legislature who owe the entity huge money will be disconnected.
“We will disconnect them and we will not hesitate. Am saying this today. I wanted to say it to the public first so that we don’t disconnect people from the past government and you say it is a witch-hunt. The witch-hunt now is for you to pay our money; you are the want witch-hunting the LWSC. If you don’t pay, we will witch-hunt you,” he noted.
Under the government’s 100 days deliverables, Mr. Ali said LWSC, in the last three-weeks, completed the total repair of the 1million gallon reservoir up Ducor and they are in discussion with the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to stabilize the electricity supply so that their booster station on Newport Street can pump water to the reservoir.
The LWSC boss said that in the next two-weeks, they will begin testing water supply to central Monrovia and at the same time, the repair of the reservoir that couldn’t be repaired for over five-years has been done with a cost of US$41,000.
He continued: “We have resumed water supply to most of the communities that were connected previously and we have begun running the White-Plane Water Treatment Plant seven-days a week. Previously White-Plane treatment plant was running three times a week. This is why the frequent breakage in water supply is being observed. We resumed water supply to Thinker Village, extending to Rock Hill Church and that is being made possible by utilizing the US$1 million gallons reservoir that was constructed in Rock Hill Community, GSA Road, Paynesville and we started releasing water from that facility which is enough to supply our people,” he said.
“We also resumed water supply to communities ranging from St. Paul Bridge to the Barnesville area. There are setting customers who were connected before who are not getting water, this is primarily due to the destruction of our pipes by companies that are constructing community and major roads; we sent our teams to these communities to begin replacing those pipes,” he asserted.
Moreover, Mr. Ali said that the Corporation is doing all of these achievements without a single cent from the Government of Liberia.
He stated that as part of their progress, for the sewage spilling in Monrovia, on Sunday, April 28, 2024, they started delousing and cleaning the sewage lines.
