Potable water:multiple projects, mitigated results

Government keeps stretching out to partners to meet the water needs of the population.

Water is life, yet the precious liquid seems to be as scarce in some neighbourhoods and cities as dog’s tears. Taps in some areas like Damas in Yaounde have been dry for some years now with inhabitants, rather stunned at the flow of potable water when out of the neighbourhood. Damas like Oyom-Abang and Minkoa Meyos are thirsty, but authorities say the radiant nature of some of these areas is not helping matters.

Figures from the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy indicate that the Akomnyada Water Treatment Plant, alongside others, supplies the city with 150,000 cubic metres of potable water a day. Demand for the city stands at 220,000 cubic metres a day. But efforts are underway to bridge the 70,000 cubic metres daily demand/supply shortfall.

Government represented by the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy and an Indian Firm on December 1, 2014, signed agreement for an emergency project to supply additional 50,000 cubic metres of potable water to the city of Yaounde.

The FCFA 49.196 billion project that consisted of building a water treatment plant in Mefou in the Nsimalen neighbourhood, some 17 kilometres from Yaounde, was expected to last six months, as per the terms of the agreement. Three months into the contract, thirsty Yaounde inhabitants are yet to see the project takeoff.

However, there is hope in the horizon with the Cameroon Utilities Corporation, CAMWATER, promising better days in the provision of water to the city of Yaounde. The company is the beneficiary of FCFA 36 billion whose loan agreement between the government of Cameroon and the US branch of the Export/Import Bank and the Société Général for its emergency project was signed yesterday.

The Minister Delegate in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Yaouba Abdoulaye, the General Manager of the Société Général, Philippe Le Roch and Eximbank’s representative, Philips Lee, sealed the deal.

Cameroon Tribune learnt that the project will last 12 months. “The equipment are ready and set for shipment. We were just waiting for this contract to be signed,” a source said. The General Manager of CAMWATER, William Sollo, said another agreement might be signed in some time to come for additional 250, 000 cubic metres daily water supply in Yaounde. This will come to bridge the demand and supply gap in the city, he explained. He announced the third phase of the project that will take CAMWATER to Buea, Mutengene and Tiko in the South West Region.

Quizzed on follow-up mechanisms put in place to guarantee the effective implementation of the project, Cameroon Tribune was told that government was going to recruit a third party engineering firm to supervise work on the ground in addition to supervision from CAMWATER technical department. However, the commitment is there with follow up measures in the loan agreement in case any party does not respect certain clauses of the terms of contract.