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ADNews-Sinoe County, Liberia: Residents of Tartweh in Electoral District #1, Sinoe County, are grappling with a growing humanitarian crisis following the collapse of the community’s only major bridge. The deteriorating structure, which once connected locals to essential services, markets, and healthcare, now stands as a symbol of neglect and broken promises.
The collapsed Plasion Tartweh Bridge has effectively cut off the community, forcing residents to use dangerous and costly alternatives to cross the river. Those who risk the journey are paying exorbitant fees in local currency, expenditures that are both financially burdensome and physically hazardous.
The situation has escalated, particularly affecting pregnant women, children, patients in need of medical attention, and healthcare workers, who now struggle to access the most basic services. Medical supplies are barely being transported across the river, while patients requiring emergency care are being carried over under unsafe conditions.
“This is no longer just an inconvenience, it’s a matter of life and death,” said one local elder. “People are suffering and will soon start dying, and nothing is being done.”
Community frustration is further fueled by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2014 between residents and Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL). Under the agreement, GVL promised to develop key infrastructure,including the construction of a clinic among others in the Tartweh-Drapoh Chiefdom. Over a decade later, residents say those commitments remain unfulfilled.
Locals are now calling for urgent government intervention to repair or replace the bridge and to hold accountable those responsible for years of infrastructural neglect. They are also appealing to their Lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Romeo Quioh, to fulfill his constitutional obligations of representation, lawmaking, and oversight.
“This bridge is not just wood and nails,it is the lifeline of our people,” said a frustrated community youth leader. “We are tired of promises. We need action.”
Tartweh’s plight echoes similar struggles in River Gee and Grand Kru Counties, where residents face deteriorating road conditions and collapsed bridges with minimal government response.
With the rainy season intensifying, the window for safe travel and emergency access is rapidly closing. Residents are urging both local and national authorities to prioritize infrastructure repairs and ensure that their safety and basic human needs are no longer ignored.
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