Published: September 24, 2026
MONROVIA — Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation Managing Director Mohammed Ali says the state-owned utility is currently unable to make meaningful contributions to the national budget, blaming a bloated workforce, a monthly payroll of at least US$350,000 and other operational costs for consuming much of the corporation’s internally generated revenue.
Ali, speaking Wednesday before scores of citizens at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinion, or CEIO, in Monrovia, traced the corporation’s current financial strain to staffing decisions under the former Coalition for Democratic Change administration.
He alleged that when the CDC administration took over LWSC, the corporation had fewer than 200 employees and a monthly payroll of about US$150,000, with workers being paid on time.
“You asked about LWSC’s contribution to the national budget. When the CDC administration took over LWSC, the corporation had fewer than 200 employees, who were well paid and paid on time, with a monthly payroll of at most US$150,000,” Ali said in response to a question from a citizen.
“But because of the inability to create jobs for people elsewhere, the corporation was filled with additional employees, including people who were not even qualified to do the work,” he alleged.
Ali said LWSC now has more than 500 employees and a monthly payroll of at least US$350,000, which he said has placed considerable financial pressure on the corporation.
Ali Questions Staffing Levels
The LWSC managing director also questioned the corporation’s employee-to-customer ratio, arguing that its staffing level does not correspond with the number of customer connections it manages.
He said when his administration took over, LWSC had about 13,000 customer connections but 622 employees, a ratio he suggested was inconsistent with international standards for water utilities.
Ali maintained that LWSC largely depends on revenue generated through its own operations and must first strengthen its financial position before it can begin making meaningful contributions to the national budget.
“The only money we have is what we generate,” Ali emphasized. “So, for now, we are not contributing to the national budget. We have to improve the corporation and put it in a position where, in the future, there will be an opportunity for the entity to contribute.”
Despite his concerns about the size of the workforce and its impact on LWSC’s finances, Ali ruled out simply dismissing employees as a cost-cutting measure.
“So we will not sack people because they are Liberians. They will work. They deserve to work. They have families to feed,” he said.
Ali’s explanation addressed questions surrounding LWSC’s contribution to government revenue, although concerns remain among some citizens over whether the corporation’s internally generated revenue should allow it to make remittances to the national budget.
Ali Challenges ‘Pupu Water’ Characterization
Ali also pushed back against claims that some areas affected by wastewater are entirely flooded with what has popularly been described as “pupu water,” challenging the characterization of all water emerging from the sewer system as sewage-contaminated.
“When you say the entire field is filled with ‘pupu water,’ it means that everywhere on that field is covered with it. I challenge that assertion,” Ali said in response to another question.
He argued that Liberia’s heavy rainfall means rainwater can enter sewer lines and eventually flow through available outlets, particularly during the rainy season.
“We live in a country that experiences a lot of rainfall. Whether the sewer system is working 100% or not, once we are in the rainy season, water will enter the sewer lines, and that water has to come out somewhere,” he said.
Ali described the sewer infrastructure as an open system, arguing that water entering the network must eventually escape through available outlets rather than remain trapped indefinitely.
“So, wherever that water finds an outlet, it will come out. But you cannot simply see water flowing from the system and conclude that the entire area is filled with ‘pupu water,’” the LWSC boss stressed.
Ali maintained that the presence of water flowing from the sewer system, by itself, should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that an entire affected area is covered with sewage-contaminated water.
Discussion about this post