Dried Up: Water Scarcity Worsens in Yaounde

There was more bad news this week for millions struggling to get clean water with authorities announcing that a plan to pump in an additional 50,000 cubic meters from a new treatment plan will remain on hold.

After months of unreliable supply, taps have now completely run dry across most of the metropolis, forcing inhabitants to turn to wells, streams, springs and mineral water. Worse conditions can be expected as the dry season settles in.

Carrefour Palais, the roundabout outside the presidential palace in Etoudi, has become the unintended symbol of the crisis, congregating thousands of thirsty people from around the city every day from 4am to past midnight.

The ministry of water and energy and the water utilities company Camwater have separately said the problem stems from the natural drop in the water level during the dry season and the inability of the city’s strained water infrastructure to serve the growing population.

Months of heavy engineering in parts of the city to lay new pipelines is still ongoing and may be contributing to disconnections in those areas. Entire neighborhoods have now gone without water for three to six straight weeks.

Yaounde currently gets only half the water its need, around 150,000 cubic meters of water daily. A plan to raise supply to nearly 200,000 by December 2013 did not succeed. Camwater now plans to increase supply to 500,000 cubic meters only by 2018.

Meantime, city dwellers are driving across towns to the few neighborhoods like Carrefour Palais, where taps are still running or relay on sources with doubtful quality. At Palais Etoudi, people must wait for hours in long queues for their turn at the lone tap.

“We did not use to store up water but we now have to,” said Martin Mbida, a nurse-aide. “I drive here twice a week and even that is not enough because I need larger containers. For drinking water, my household relies on mineral water.”

Slowly, frustration is turning into public anger. The subject is now dominating radio talk shows and call-in programs. In the streets, people are not hiding their feelings.

“The bad thing is I continue to receive my bills,” said Blaise Ata, a civil servant. “These are maintenance bills and charges for water I never consumed. How can I be billed for a meter that is not serving me?”

Yaounde is not new to water scarcity. Even in the best of times, some neighborhoods only get a few hours of water at night. But many says they have never seen anything like this recently.