The town of Mbengwi in Momo Division, North West Region has been hardly hit by a water and electricity crisis with the former being as a result of a leakage on the main supply pipeline in Tonmukomo, along the road to Njindom village while the cause of the latter remains unknown. Reports say last week, the main water transportation pipeline was completely divided into two after a sand transporting truck passed on it but locals managed to rejoin the broken pipe. Days after, since it still remained totally exposed, it was again tampered by another truck, this time around causing a leakage.
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| Leakage on Pipeline in Tonmukomo |
George Tabeng, a bike ridder, narrating what happened said "It's due to the bad nature of the road and negligence on the part of the water company because ever since the pipe had been exposed on the middle of the road, nothing was done till of recent that a 20 ton tipper had to pass and damage it thus causing the whole of Mbengwi to be without water"
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| George Tabeng, Bike Rider |
According to Madam Jem Judith, a Tonmukomo resident, this isn't the first time such a breakage is occurring. Expressing herself in Pidgin English, she warned that danger looms again as several portions of the pipeline are now completely above the earth surface with some joints already at the verge of dividing into two considering the dense traffic flow on the said road.
As a way forward, she proposed that a new trench must be deeply dug by the roadside or through the bush not in the middle of the road and the pipes buried inside else the worst is yet to come.
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| Exposed Pipeline |
For over a week now, taps in Mbengwi have been void of the precious liquid. As such businesses and households have been greatly affected. The population now resort to rainfall, streams and wells meanwhile others now travel for long kilometres to neighbouring communities like Bome to fetch drinkable water. The water in Mbengwi is tapped from up the hills of Guneku village, transported through Njindom, Mile 20, Mile 19 to Wumngang where there's a treatment centre from where it's then distributed to households for usage.
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| Exposed Pipeline on the Road |
Considering that this is the last remaining accessible road for cars transporting goods and passengers from Mbengwi central town to remote villages like Njindom, Nyen and Acha Tugi, concerned authorities must have to react fast to remedy the situation.
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| Danger!!! Next Potential Joint to be Broken |
Apart from water crisis, Mbengwi town has also been suffering from rampant power cuts. Hardly does the town enjoy electricity for a full day. For over a month now, electricity supply has been epileptic. At times some quarters have light others don't. Businesses with heavy equipment like grinding and carpentry mills are down, cold store dealers are no longer stocking frozen fish, butchers now resort to smoking beef for conservation and even the lone community radio station that keeps the town lively is off air.
Many inhabitants have now been compelled to seek other energy sources like generators and solar rechargeable lamps while some persons are making gain out of the situation. For example 200Frs is the charge one now pays to recharge a phone or power bank using someone's generator and by the end of the day, more than 5000Frs is made as profit.
All of these happening at time when the population is yet to be free from the violations and abuses of state forces and non state armed groups in the ongoing anglophone crisis.
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