Residents of Yarla Town in Belequelleh Clan, Bong County Electoral District #3, have confronted a “growing environmental and public health emergency.”
The situation surrounds an alleged illicit mining activity, which residents said, had continued to contaminate the town’s only reliable source of drinking water.
The situation has also sparked fear and frustration among residents, who say, their once-clean creek has become muddy and unsafe for human consumption.
The muddy water confusion has left families struggling to access safe drinking water.
Yarla General Town Chief, Benjamin Kermue, raised concerns over the impact of illegal mining operations taking place in and around the community.
Kermue accused unauthorized miners of destroying the environment and polluting waterways that have sustained the town for generations.
Residents, he said, depended on for years, is being affected by mining-related activities, forcing women, children, and the elderly to travel long distances daily in search of clean water.
“Our people are suffering because of these activities. The creek that provided drinking water for this town has been polluted. What was once a clean and dependable water source, is now muddied and unsafe.
The situation has become unbearable for many families.”
Kermue warned that the contamination poses significant health risks to residents, particularly children and vulnerable individuals, who continue to rely on the affected water source, “since there were no alternatives.”
He said, residents have become increasingly worried about potential outbreaks of waterborne diseases and other health related complications linked to unsafe drinking water.
Beyond the water crisis, Chief Kermue said, the illicit mining activities have caused widespread environmental destruction.
He pointed to damaged farmland, degraded land, and the destruction of natural vegetation as evidence of the growing environmental impact.