By Patrick N. Mensah, Maryland County
Pleebo, Maryland County — Several schoolchildren and residents of Quiloken Town, Gborlobo Clan, are facing a worsening humanitarian and public health crisis due to the persistent lack of access to safe drinking water.
Quiloken Town is located on the outskirts of the Pleebo Sodoken District, represented in the House of Representatives by Maryland County Electoral District #2 Representative Anthony F. Williams. The town is among several communities surrounded by the Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC), a large rubber-producing concession operating in the district.
Despite benefiting from land and natural resources in the area, residents allege that the concession has failed to meaningfully support surrounding communities, particularly in addressing access to safe water and environmental protection.
Speaking to this reporter, Quiloken Town Mayor Benetius Mayo disclosed that the community has an estimated population of more than 2,000 residents but relies on only one functioning hand pump for drinking water. According to him, other hand pumps that previously served the town have broken down and remain unrepaired.
Mayor Mayo described the situation as alarming and life-threatening, especially during the rainy season. He said nearly half of the town’s population suffers from waterborne diseases each year as erosion carries polluted runoff from nearby tributaries into community water sources.
“The health impact is devastating,” Mayor Mayo said. “Children, elderly people, and pregnant women suffer the most. In some cases, pregnant women have lost their pregnancies after contracting waterborne diseases.”
He further alleged that the upper section of the creek supplying water to Quiloken Town is located near CRC’s processing facility. According to him, chemical waste from the factory is regularly discharged into the creek, contaminating the water downstream.
Mayor Mayo claimed that residents have repeatedly lodged complaints and appealed to the concession company, but CRC has allegedly failed to take responsibility for cleaning the water, conducting environmental assessments, or providing alternative safe water sources to affected communities.
Local leaders argue that CRC has not fulfilled its social and environmental obligations to people living within its concession area.
“It is painful that a company operating on our land and making profit from our resources has not helped us with safe water, sanitation, or health support,” Mayor Mayo added. “If you carefully observe the water, you can see signs of chemical pollution, yet nothing is being done.”
Mayor Mayo emphasized that health professionals residing in the area have warned residents that prolonged exposure to contaminated creek water can lead to cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhea, skin infections, reproductive health complications, and long-term damage to vital organs.
He has called on local government authorities, humanitarian organizations, and development partners to urgently intervene by providing safe water and sanitation facilities for the town’s residents.
At the same time, Mayor Mayo appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate the alleged use and discharge of chemicals by the Cavalla Rubber Corporation. He also called on the company to take responsibility for repairing broken hand pumps and mitigating environmental harm.
Efforts by The New Dawn to obtain comments from the Public Relations Officer of the Cavalla Rubber Corporation proved unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
