Liberians selling water to stay afloat

MONROVIA, Liberia

As the sun beats down on Liberia’s ruined capital city, Anthony Yeakar pushes a red metal cart packed with large water jugs through the dirty streets.

Mr. Yeakar, 23 and only in the 10th grade, dreams of being a doctor.

In a postwar Liberia, he will have to settle for being a water carrier, at least for now.

“Money is in water,” Mr. Yeakar said.

Five years after Liberia’s 14-year civil war, many are just like Mr. Yeakar, struggling to make a living in this country of nearly 3.2 million. Without basic infrastructure, like running water or a fully functioning power grid, most are forced to continue living as mere survivors.

The slow pace of rebuilding also has left Liberians with both the daunting task and the golden opportunity to capitalize on the government’s gaps. The lack of running water, for example, has spurred a water-selling industry in the clogged capital city.

Mr. Yeakar begins work at 7:30 a.m. by a city well in downtown Monrovia. He fills five-gallon jugs with water and lugs up to 30 of them at a time in his cart with the help of his half brother, Samuel.

The Yeakar brothers drop grimy jugs at businesses and government buildings, including the broken-down palaces housing the Education, Finance and Commerce ministries. The water often is used to flush waste down broken toilets.

They charge about 20 Liberian dollars, or 33 cents, per jug. A day’s work will yield between $11 and $14. They pay the well owner about $80 a month.

The brothers´ monthly take-home cash is a considerable sum in a country in which many workers on an official payroll make much less. A teacher here makes about $50 a month, a police officer about $60.

The Yeakar brothers work all week, including Sunday — when the crowds on Monrovia’s sidewalks are thin and many sellers are at home keeping God’s day of rest.

But Mr. Yeakar sees working seven days as a black-and-white issue.

“I have customers to supply, and they need water every day,” he said.

Daily sewage spills and the city’s mostly defunct power grid further complicate life.

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