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Sustainability of drinkable water projects in the rural milieu of Bafoussam, West Cameroon

IWRA World Water Congress 2017 - Cancun Mexico
6. Water and sustainable growth
Author(s): Daniel Nkue Nouwezem
Daniel Nkue Nouwezem
nkuedaniel@hotmail.fr


Keyword(s): Drinkable water projects, rural milieu, sustainable development, territorialisation, growth
Article: PDF

Abstract

The most difficult factors that could ensure the sustainability of drinkable water points in the central Africa rural environment are inherent in the process and actors' involvement in the cycle management of community water supply projects. Despite multitude policy options put in place, and actions carried out by governments, for NGOs and individuals to achieve the sustainable development goals by improving upon water sources, rural population in the central African countries still need to face difficulties related to their access drinkable water. With the  example of west Cameroon, with enormous resources this locality still encounter development difficulties in the domain of drinkable water point infrastructure in the rural milieu have a limited lifetime which is extremely reduced comparatively according to the norms. Some are being abandoned by local population few month after their implantation. Thus instead of an improved water accessibility situation in the rural area, we face instead a degrading situation, with a corresponding impact on the sustainable development in the area. Based on the mixed approach in social science, this study was carried out in 2015 with the principal methodology. Data collection tools used were: in situ observations, interviews guides, focus group discussion and two different questionnaires were elaborated. The first one was addressing the history of water points in the studied area, and the second one was administered to the actors involve in the water point management. A set of operations were carried out in the processing of these data. They were edited and open-ended questions were codified . Software like SPSS and EXCEL were used for bivariate analysis and chart building. QGIS used for the cartography of the water points in the region done. Results from this study show that physical geographical parameters of the rural milieu in this area Bafoussam is favorable to water availability in the area. However this availability is threatened by water pollutions mainly linked to agriculture intensification in the area. Also, drinkable water projects are 65% initiated and financed by external actors to the locality. The water point mapping reveals a high concentration of drinkable water project in the western part of the studied area, thus revealing the role of territorialisation in development process. The lack in the cycle managementof these project are responsible of their failure. Moreover they are also the fruits of socio-cultural conflicts combined to a lack of cohesion between the local government and external actors such as the elites and diaspora. These situation has caused inhabitants to fetch water from far distance or from questionable water sources, with an impact on their health and health and productivity. There is a need to conceive interventions in the rural milieu as far as drinkable water is concerned.

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