Chinese contractor accused of environmental pollution

During a recent field trip to the construction site of the Mékin dam, in the region of the South of Cameroon, the Minister of the environment, Protection of nature and the sustainable development, Pierre Hele, was not please with China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC), the company responsible for building the hydroelectric infrastructure.

"There's a big gap between what was planned in the texts and what is done on the ground," said the Member of the Cameroonian Government, noting its failure to comply with certain environmental clauses of the draft.

Indeed, he continued, "the site we visited has piles of unsorted waste stream. There is no traceability in their management system. Certain provisions should be taken to prevent the pollution of water. However, bags of cement whose chemical composition is unknown are discarded and are ingested by fish in the water."

The Minister, Pierre Hele also pointed out the problems of sanitation in the camps of the workers. ''Hygiene is unreliable. In cases of illness, the camp will be infected'.

These facts according to the Minister of the environment portray a breach of the specifications prescribed in the Chinese business on complying with the rules of environmental protection, and CNEEC has been asked to rectify this situation as soon as possible to avoid any sanctions.