Armed with buckets, cooking utensils and jerrycans, angry women from the Cité de l’Air neighbourhood of Gbessia, Guinea, took to the streets on Saturday 4 January to demand the repair of water pipes destroyed during road works. This has caused a serious water shortage in the area.
“When the work started, we asked for an explanation. They promised that the pipes would be reinstalled when the work was finished. But for eight months, nothing has been done. No pipes, no water. We have to get up at 5 a.m. to fetch water elsewhere. This disrupts our daily lives. We’re late for work and the children are late for school. It’s unbearable! We’ve decided to demonstrate today to hold the authorities to account. They want to lay asphalt without restoring the water. How can we live without water? We’re suffering.”
The local authorities, represented by the neighbourhood chief and his team, went to the site to talk to the demonstrators. They called for calm and promised to take steps to resolve the problem. Mohamed Fodé Camara, deputy head of the neighbourhood, said:
“The water problem affects everyone. From the beginning of the work, the residents expressed their concerns. The neighbourhood passed on the information and sent a written request to the municipality. We also alerted the SEG, which sent a team to the site, but the situation remains unchanged. We have asked for the road to be repaired to solve the flooding problems, but this should not be at the expense of access to drinking water. We will continue discussions with the relevant authorities and keep the population informed of progress.”
