By: Samuel Flomo, Jr.
Residents of David Dean’s Town in Kokoyah District, Bong County, said a water project once promoted as major campaign achievement by District one Representative, Prince K. Koinah, has now collapsed, leaving the community struggling for safe drinking water.
The reservoir, constructed during the 2023 electoral campaign, was presented as a long-term solution to the town’s chronic water shortage. But residents now say the facility has stopped functioning, forcing them to travel long distances daily to find water for basic household use.
Speaking on Friday, March 6, 2026, several residents expressed anger and disappointment, accusing the lawmaker of neglecting the very project that once raised hopes across the community.
According to residents, the collapse of the water system has created serious hardship for families.
Some said they now walk for nearly two hours to nearby communities to fetch water, while others spend hours waiting in long lines at the town’s only two operational hand pumps.
Community members said the reservoir once served as the town’s primary source of safe drinking water, but it stopped operating after critical components of the system were removed.
Residents alleged that the solar-powered facility was initially installed with 24 batteries to run the system.
However, they claimed that 22 of those batteries were later taken to Gbarnga by a technician believed to be working with Representative Koinah for repairs.
According to the residents, the batteries have never been returned.
The situation has left the water system completely idle, fueling anger among residents who said the project was heavily publicized during the election period but has since been neglected.
For many in the community, the failed reservoir has become a symbol of what they described as political promises that disappear once elections are over.
“This project was used to convince people that development was coming,” one resident said. “But today we are suffering more than before.”
Meanwhile residents are now calling on Representative Koinah to urgently repair the damaged reservoir and restore safe drinking water to the community.
Some have warned that if the lawmaker cannot fix the facility, the structure should be removed from their land entirely.
When contacted, James Yekeson Forkpa Jr., Administrative Assistant to Representative Koinah, confirmed that the reservoir was constructed by the lawmaker in 2023 as part of efforts to provide safe drinking water to the residents of David Dean’s Town.
However, he claimed that the issue surrounding the facility has been politicized by some individuals in the community.
Mr. Forkpa acknowledged that the reservoir is currently not functioning but said Representative Koinah is considering upgrading the water system in the near future.
For many residents, however, those assurances come as the community continues to face a daily struggle for safe drinking water.