Following nearly three (3) weeks of water outage to several communities via the LWSC’s thirty-six Inch (36’’) transmission pipeline, the management of Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) has announced that water supply and distribution have resumed to arears affected by the rupture.
According to the Corporation’s Public Relations Director, Nimpson Todd, all repair works have been completed following weeks of rapid and robust repair intended to resume full services through the thirty-six Inch (36’’) transmission facility.
Todd noted that welding and casting have since been completed on the ruptured thirty-six Inch (36’’) transmission after several sleepless nights by those he described as dedicated and hardworking LWSC employees.
“For several nights now, our dedicated and hardworking staff have been working to restore our thirty-six,” Todd noted.
According to the LWSC spokesman, the completion of repair on the damaged pipeline means water supply has been restored to the communities which were recently affected as a result of the pipe breaking.
Todd noted that the occasional rupturing or breaking of the LWSC’s main transmission facility is due to the fact that the pipeline has been in existence since the mid-50s; which means the pipe has outlived its usefulness and needs to be replaced.
“Since 1957, the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation has been providing portable pipe borne to Monrovia and its environs via the pipeline in question; the pipe is old now, so whenever consistent pressure is put into the pipeline through regular pumping; we experience these kinds of technical breakdowns,” Todd told the media over the weekend.
The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation Public Relations head said, “Since 4:00 a.m. on Monday, January 11, several affected communities, including Johnsonville, Paynesville, Robertsfeild and Kakata highways, the townships of Gardnerville and Barnesville have begun receiving pipe borne water.
Todd also named Congo Town, Sinkor, Old and New Matadi and Central Monrovia as communities that are receiving water supply following the completion of repair works on the recently damaged thirty-six Inch (36’’) transmission pipeline.
It can be recalled that residents of several communities that feed on the LWSC’s thirty-six Inch (36’’) transmission facility recently struggled for safe-drinking water due to what the Corporation said was a technical breakdown.
The LWSC supplies Monrovia and its environs via its thirty-six and sixteen-inch transmission pipelines.
During the recent disruption of water supply via the thirty-six distribution facility, communities along the sixteen-inch transmission pipeline, including Brewerville, Virginia, Hotel Africa communities and the entire Bushrod Island consistently received water from the LWSC.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation has announced the payment of three months salary arrears to its employees.
According to Director Todd, the arrear payment, which began last week, will be concluded this week as normal working activities have since resumed at the corporation with all its employees accounted for.
“Management has already paid two out of the five months owed employees, an additional one is being processed to sum up to three months,” Todd indicated.
Todd noted that calm has since returned at the Corporation, with both the management and leadership of the Workers Union finding a way forward in addressing the issue of salary delays, including ensuring collection efficiency and robust tackling of illegal connections.