Rag-tag fighters who smashed up and looted Liberia's water infrastructure during the civil war are now making a living selling water by the bucket to residents of the sea-front capital, Monrovia.

After Charles Taylor's rebel forces invaded Liberia in December 1989, triggering the civil war, one of their first targets was the sole water and power dam, the Mount Coffee Water Plant.

"Some of our fellow former combatants helped to loot the Mount Coffee Water Plant," said Lamine Lahai, an ex-fighter who was recruited as a child soldier to fight for Taylor. "We were taking it at the time for joke, and now our people are feeling the effect of what we did during the war."

Before the war, Monrovia was a gleaming icon of economic development in West Africa. New, white hotels grew up on the hills overlooking the bay, and presidents from across the region sought to imitate Liberia's example. The 14 years of conflict and neglect have left the country without any basic infrastructure or services.

Lamine is among a new army of young men who earn money hauling handcarts of drinking water in jerry cans and buckets to homes and businesses across the capital. One man can earn as much as US $2 a day - more than most labourers in what is one of the world's poorest countries. "Now, most of the former combatants are doing this business of carrying water from the reservoir to homes. Private individuals gave us contracts to supply them water every morning, and we are really gaining from it, because it is better to do something than sitting down idle just thinking about war," he said.

However, young men like Lamine could soon be out of a job. The post-war elected government has promised to urgently restore the country's running water, and in July, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf turned on the tap, providing the first running water in the capital in more than 15 years.

Hun-Bu Tulay, managing director of the Liberia Water and Sewage Cooperation (LWSC), told reporters that water has been piped to about 50 percent of Monrovia’s residents since the end of July. "We have repaired the main pipes that pumped water into central Monrovia and beyond, as far as the eastern side of the city, through the assistance of the European Commission. We are not going to stop there - gradually everyone will have access to safe drinking water," he said.

The next hurdle for the LWSC will be securing payment from consumers.

"The LWSC wants customers to start paying water bills. This is very important to sustain and maintain our water supplies and facilities. The water we are providing is very expensive because we are paying for high-quality materials and chemicals to treat the water to make it safe for drinking," Tulay said.

Unemployment rumbles at about 85 percent, according to United Nations estimates, and even those lucky enough to have a government job struggle to make ends meet. Civil servants are paid only $30 a month.