Bamenda indigens call CAMWATER to book on unclean water supply

For over two weeks, inhabitants of Bamenda have been disturbed over coloured, sticky and brownish water dripping from their taps. The coloured water has left the public in fear of an outbreak of a cholera epidemic.

When The Post reporters approached authorities of the Cameroon Water Corporation, CDE, they refused to comment on the issue. Rather, they were very hostile.

Reacting to the situation, the Northwest Regional Delegate of Water Resources and Energy, Emmanuel Moki Ngando, told The Post in an interview in his office on July 8, that he presented a sample of the brownish water he bottled for observation, saying officials from the CDE in charge of treating and distributing water have told him that they are cleaning the water tank at Mbatu village.

“The population should understand that we have two water tanks in Bamenda, one in Mendankwe and the other in Mbatu and the one that is dripping dirty water is that of Mbatu that supplies most parts of the city. This tank and the network are too old, about 40 years today and were not meant for this large population.”

He said when he discovered that the water has continued to be dirty for days, he took a team of his workers to the Mbatu water treatment centre and they found out that the pumps and the filters were in good conditions and that chlorine was being used to disinfect the water.

“My worry is that we keep seeing this dirty water with blackish settlements like the one you are seeing in front of us. I am tempted to think that somebody somewhere at CDE is not doing his job. I have given them up to July 15 to redress this situation or they face the consequences.

Meanwhile, I have contacted my hierarchy because this issue is serious. You will not imagine that I asked these fellows of CDE to explain why all of this is happening and there was no direct answer. When the time come, somebody will answer for what is happening,” the Delegate stated.

He said there were some neighbourhoods in Bamenda who have clean water and pleaded with the population to treat water by boiling, in order to give CDE some time, rather than resort to violence, which, to him, is not the solution to the crises.

A restaurant owner in Ntarinkon, Bleck Ayuk, told The Post that he has resorted to water from a borehole because it is cleaner and safer than dirty water from CAMWATER and CDE.

Talking to The Post, the Chief of Sanitation at the Bamenda Regional Hospital , Martha Abi, said water, which she described as liquid food, should be colourless , adding that if the population does not take upon itself to boil water before drinking, they risk contracting diseases such as; typhoid, cholera, diarrhea and dysentery.

“Dirty water can cause skin diseases like scabies when used for bathing, and let me add that dirty water like what we have in Bamenda has a psychological effect on the population ,which is harmful."

The Chief of Water maintenance at the Bamenda Regional Hospital, Richard Esoal, said he ensures that the tank is cleaned every three months. He said no cases of cholera have been registered.

“I strongly advise Bamenda inhabitants to boil water before drinking,” he corroborated the other officials. Commenting on the issue, the SDF National Chairman said his taps are all brown “and the dangerous thing is that the water heating machines in his compound are already getting rusted because of the mud from the dirty water. I have never seen where a water catchment tank is being cleaned for weeks. This is an exercise that is carried out in a day and clean water flows after treatment but that is not what we are experiencing in Bamenda. If it continues I will confront the Water authority this week.”

The nieghbourhood that has gone for months without dirty water is Foncha Street where the inhabitants are constantly on the road in search of water with gallons on their heads.