“This is not good for business, or for any institution,” Francis Lahai, an engineer with the company, said. “Another challenge for GVWC is that many people don’t pay for water,” he added.

AYV investigations reveal that illegal connection to water pipes is a rampant practice in Freetown and its environs and it has been encouraged by erratic supply, especially to public taps. People who don’t have taps in their homes resort to cutting pipes that run into the homes of well-to-do residents to access water. Others divert the pipe to their own homes.

Mr. Lahai went on to state that GVWC is now seriously looking to mend the situation by changing from blue rubber (PVC ) pipes to ductile iron pipes.

Also, the poor water supply service in Freetown has been blamed on archaic nature of the city’s water infrastructure. Poorly supervised construction has also contributed to the problem as residents have indiscriminately cut down connections which have left many homes without water supply for years.

Efforts are underway by a US-funded project to fix the city’s erratic water supply system.