Although the Honorable House of Representatives failed to convene plenary sitting yesterday due to lack of quorum, the Daily Observer has obtained a leaked legislative communication in which Nimba County District #7 Representative, Hon. Musa Hassan Bility, is seeking plenary endorsement to summon the Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mr. Mohammed Ali, over a disputed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector claim that approximately 76 percent of Liberians have access to safe drinking water.
In the communication laid before the August Body, Rep. Bility is urging plenary to invoke its constitutional oversight mandate to compel the LWSC Chief Executive to appear before lawmakers for a comprehensive technical briefing on WASH sector performance indicators, sanitation service delivery benchmarks, and the statistical methodology underpinning the reported national coverage figure.
The communication has already triggered legislative consultations and political maneuvering within caucus blocs at the Capitol Building, with lawmakers emphasizing the need for parliamentary scrutiny, data validation, and policy interrogation in assessing WASH sector performance reporting and public utility accountability.
Based on an estimated national population of 5.5 million, the reported 76 percent access rate implies that over four million Liberians fall within the "basic drinking water service" threshold--an assertion lawmakers say must undergo formal plenary interrogation and committee-of-the-whole review under established legislative procedure.
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Rep. Bility maintained that the request is not intended to undermine the credibility of LWSC management but to reinforce institutional accountability, transparency in WASH governance, and evidence-based service delivery reporting within the public sector.
Under House Rules and parliamentary practice, once adopted by plenary, the communication would trigger a summons mechanism, compelling LWSC leadership to appear before lawmakers for a technical briefing session on national water supply coverage, sanitation infrastructure mapping, and service delivery performance metrics.
The lawmaker further requested a detailed breakdown of the reported statistics, including county-by-county and district-level WASH coverage, geospatial mapping of improved water points, classification of improved versus unimproved water sources, and definitional standards used to determine "safe drinking water access" in line with global monitoring frameworks.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of LWSC, Mr. Mohammed Ali, has responded via his official Facebook page, stating that he has not received any formal communication from the House and only became aware of the matter through social and traditional media platforms. He indicated that he chose to respond through the same channel in the spirit of public accountability.
Mr. Ali welcomed legislative oversight and WASH sector accountability, emphasizing that access to safe drinking water is a critical development indicator that must be guided by internationally accepted data systems rather than political interpretation.
He clarified that the 76 percent figure is not an internal LWSC construct but is derived from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, the globally recognized mechanism used for tracking Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators in the WASH sector.
According to him, the latest JMP estimates for Liberia place access to basic drinking water services at approximately 75-76 percent of the population.
He explained that under JMP methodology, "basic drinking water service" refers to access to an improved water source--such as boreholes, protected wells, piped systems, rainwater harvesting, and delivered water--where collection time does not exceed 30 minutes round trip, including waiting time.
Mr. Ali stressed that the figure does not imply that 76 percent of Liberians are connected to LWSC piped water systems but rather reflects a broader multi-actor WASH service delivery ecosystem involving community water systems, rural infrastructure, and development partner-supported interventions.
He acknowledged, however, that significant WASH sector gaps persist, noting that nearly one-quarter of the population still lacks access to basic drinking water services, with pronounced disparities between urban utilities and rural water supply systems.
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Mr. Ali reaffirmed his readiness to appear before the Honorable House upon formal summons, stating that he will provide clarification on data methodology, sanitation service mapping, infrastructure coverage, and operational constraints within the national WASH architecture.
At the same time, he urged lawmakers to elevate WASH financing within the national budget framework, calling for increased fiscal allocation to water infrastructure, sanitation systems strengthening, and sector-wide investment planning to achieve universal access targets.
He emphasized that water access should remain a unifying national development priority anchored on WASH governance reform, infrastructure expansion, and public health outcomes, rather than statistical contestation.
As of press time, the leadership of the House of Representatives has not yet scheduled plenary consideration of the communication or placed the matter on the Order Paper for debate and possible adoption.
