Minresi meets on natural disaster management

A conference on the subject of flood prevention was held Wednesday during the 'month of research" in the Minresi, in Yaoundé.

The captivating images related to flooding in the area of Maga and its surroundings in the region of the far North during the months of August and September 2012 remain a concern to people in flood prone areas.

This is one of the issues that inspired the prevention research at the National Institute of Cartography (INC) to create a mapping of the area of Maga and its surroundings, coupled with remote sensing and geographic information system data (GIS).

This study was on the subject of a conference yesterday at the Ministry of scientific research and Innovation (Minresi) in Yaoundé. Presence at the meeting were the Secretary General of the Ministry, Rebecca Madeleine Ebelle Etamé and the Director of the INC, Martin Mbota Elimbi.

The meeting focused on the theme "Contribution of cartography to the management of natural risks: flood of Maga area and its surroundings".

Reference was made to Dr. Olivier Leumbe Leumbe, head of cell tracking and foresight at the INC, to present in its statement of management tools to develop the site.

In the course of the mapping study, it emerged that the relief of this area is prone to flooding due to its dense drainage network which returns plenty of water in the plain of Mount Mandara.

It was also noted that the nature of the soils of that zone does not promote water excess management because of its low permeability and low vegetation. Regarding these soil types, there are low, medium and high risk areas.

As a proposal, Dr. Olivier Leumbe Leumbe in his presentation reported on the indispensability to have fine topographic data and the construction of the dike in harmony with the landscape to avoid rupture.

As alternatives, the revegetation of the banks of the rivers of the far North is also mentioned as a measure to stabilize wastewater because when they erode it will directly run into the dam.

Cartographic data is being gathered to check any disasters in the coming days by aerial photographs to allow the actors to find the right balance in the search for solutions.