Kondengui Prison without water

Only two out of 14 districts have been supplied with drinking water for more than six months.

Narcisse is pleased that on May 19, 2015, more than a week after taking his last bath, he was able to take a new shower late morning. After the search, he said "I bought a bucket of water and I took my bath. It was not easy, "says the inmate.

Detained in Yaounde Kondengui central prison for seven months, the thirty-year-old confirmed that water is a rare commodity in this prison. "It is easy for a fellow prisoner to offer you something to eat, to give you some water to drink or use," he relates.

Those who have the opportunity to sell get a lot of money. "To have a bucket of ten liters, it costs 100 CFA francs," said another inmate.

The convicts say that "the rate is increasing because some people pay bribes at a price of 50 CFA francs, to have a bucket of water. The negotiations do not bear fruit. Dealers remain insensitive. We must give the amount intact. That's the rule. It applies to all." This famous rule was applied for six months we learn.

"And prison officers are informed of the situation," we are assured; in the penitentiary. "They do nothing to improve our situation," Narcisse said.

On the side of the authorities, the charges are neither confirmed nor deny the rationing. However, a prison official explained that the taps drought is not their responsibility. Moreover, "all parts of the prison are not affected by this lack of water. The situation only affects parts of the prison.

"There is no cause for alarm because even outside taps are dry. This is not a scoop. We must address the Cameroonian waters (CDE)," he advises.

Of the 14 districts that make up the prison, only two have water. These are minors and women's quarters. Residents get water thanks to drilling. The taps remain dry. Water flows from 2:00 to 2:30 in dribs and drabs.

At CDE, leading company in charge of the production and distribution of drinking water in Yaoundé and other cities, justifies the drought faced by the prison to be caused by the difficulty of CDE to cover water demand in Yaounde which is 300 thousand m3 of water per day.

But in the current state, "one receives from 140 to 150,000 m3 per day. The center of Akom-NYADA sends 10,000 m3 of water, and the Nkolbisson, 50,000," he says.

In addition, "when there is a power cut, water rationing increases. Yaounde receives 10,000 m3 of water." This rationing is dispatched to all parts that have water facilities; Kondengui including.

"The prison has no special facilities to be supplied in a special way. Before, there were water cuts twice a week. Today, CDE has managed to supply the prison every day," even if it is for 30 minutes.