A study conducted by Minee estimated eight million for the installation of a modern latrine. It has been noticed that, more than half of the people still used traditional toilets.
National coordination of water, hygiene and sanitation sector actors have gathered since Tuesday at the Ministry of water and energy (Minee) in Yaoundé to discuss the State of sanitation in Cameroon and also to assess the situation of the country towards the seventh objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (reducing by half the percentage of the population that has no access to drinking water or basic sanitation services), a few hours from the 2015 deadline.
According to Laurent Gouiga, technical advisor N ° 1 of the Minee, "considerable efforts are being made by the Government to improve access of the people to potable drinking water. Several infrastructures are under going rehabilitation and construction, while there is a significant ongoing investment in the Camwater program".
Concerning hygiene, it has unfortunately not very much advanced, "only 33.7% of the Cameroonian population have access to an individual and improved sanitation facility", according to studies from Minee, noting that "more than half of the population still has a rudimentary traditional installation.
Worse still, according to the regional delegate of Minee for the North "despite the awareness efforts made, many defecate in the open air. With rains, these wastes are found in streams that these same populations consume", he complained.
UNICEF stated that "in a Cameroonian context where water-borne diseases such as cholera is prevalent, it is important for all to implement and improve access to modern sanitation facilities a ". Given that the Minee studies show that "individual installations are very costly (8,000,000F/latrine improved), very few regularly drain their ditches.
As a first solution, Paul Tchapmi, regional Deputy of Minee for the Littoral indicated that the decentralized territorial communities have a major role to play in this fight.
