Yaounde Municipal Lake needs attention

The appointment of the President of the Special Commission to handle its rehabilitation indicates that work is imminent.

The process of refurbishing the Yaounde Municipal Lake seems to be forthcoming with the nomination by the Prime Minister, Head of Government of Arnaud Philippe Ndzana as the President of a Special Commission of Partnership Contracts for the Rehabilitation Project of the lake.


Even though the lakeside had over the years become a hideout for mischievous acts, there is hope that the lake will be transformed into a better site when rehabilitated.


At the lakeside yesterday, July 16, 2014, the atmosphere was calm. People could be seen fishing, washing dresses or cars. The surroundings of the lake were littered with filth of all sorts while grass covered a greater portion of the lake’s water.


The presence of Cameroon Tribune caught the attention of a group of men who were conversing around the lake.


One of them, Paul Dieudonné Mbioundji said they are members of a fishing association charged with carrying out fishing in the lake. He explained that despite the myth surrounding the lake, they have no problem fishing from the lake each day for personal consumption.


To an extent, Paul Dieudonné explained that the lake water is clean because the fish they collect from the lake is not poisonous, since none of them have been contaminated through the consumption of fish from the lake. Besides, Paul Dieudonné added that they are able to wash their dresses with the lake water and the latter gets clean.

Although the crew of fishermen said from time-to-time they find time to clean the lake, one could still see heaps of dirt inside the lake water and more around its environs.


Oliver Danzabu, another lakeside dweller, who is also a trader of second-hand shoes said after picking these shoes from the Mokolo Market, they come to the lakeside to wash them and do some repair works before selling.


He noted that although the lake water has a minute degree of odour, they are able to clean their shoes and even take a bath at times. “But we do not drink the lake water”, Oliver stressed. The signal that the lake will soon be rehabilitated by the government comes as good news to those who frequent the lakeside.


It should be recalled that some years back, the Yaounde Municipal Lake was completely drained to enable the Yaounde City Council carry out rehabilitation work. The drainage process actually took place and an expert said the water level of the lake dropped to about four metres. During that process, workers realised that the water outlet had been blocked by dirt dumped into the lake.


This was unblocked to facilitate the cleaning and imminent rehabilitation of the lake into a tourist site by a Spanish Consortium. However, work suddenly stopped and the lake was later transformed into its usual filth dump that one sees today. With the current appointment of Arnaud Philippe Ndzana, there is hope that the tourist site of the lake will soon be seen.