HELP ME UNDERSTAND THESE WATER CRISES IN CAMEROON

A country so rich and blessed with natural water resources and yet, we keep having shortages of water around the country. How can this be? What is happening? To make matters worse, citizens still receive water bill even though there is no water. How infuriating and the Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (Camwater) says its “maintenance fee.”

We have all heard the saying that “water is life” and if that is true, why are our policymakers not doing enough to ensure that every citizen has access to water? Access to water especially clean water is a serious problem in Cameroon. Some of us are fortunate to live in areas in Cameroon where water is being rationed and giving us the ability to at least safe some water in barrels for a number of days. However, others can be seen with buckets, and gallons fetching for water at public taps in the morning, afternoon and sometimes evenings. The inconveniences and strenuous way just to fetch water is unbelievable.

Water is one of the basic services important for ones survival of life. Without water we cannot cook, bathe, wash clothes, dishes, nor clean our households. Imagine children in boarding schools forced to go to streams or other public facilities out of school just to get water. During my boarding school days, I went through the same thing, but I do not recall the water situation being this bad as it is now. When I sit and reflect on my boarding school days and how I was always getting sick due to Typhoid, it is not surprising. You do not expect my parents or any other students parents to be buying us Tangui or Supermont water to take to school do you? I do not even want to think of the water source the school chefs used to cook for students in school.

From the look of it, the water crises in Cameroon seem to have gotten worse, and we are in dire need of a sustainable solution.