Water: An Indispensable Social Amenity

“Water everywhere but there is no drop to drink” is a common adage by locals in Cameroon who suffocate with thirst because of insufficient supply of potable water. In many parts of the country, taps run dry for a very long time, leaving denizens to turn to alternative sources of water, which are most often not safe. The situation of potable water scarcity is quite alarming in several regions of the country despite the fact that Cameroon is endowed with abundant water resources. According to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), access to safe water stands at about 70 per cent for the entire population, with 82 per cent coverage in urban areas and 52 per cent in rural communities. The Cameroon Water Utility Corporation (CAMWATER) provides potable water to approximately 51 per cent of its target areas in Cameroon. Figures indicate that its daily production capacity is estimated at only 854.590 cubic metres. With the current situation, a good chunk of the population relies on unsafe, contaminated sources of water, leading to water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and typhoid.  
The current dry season has exposed the seriousness of water scarcity in major towns like Buea, Yaounde Douala and many other localities. The situation is even worse among rural populations of the Far North, North, Adamawa, East and parts of the North West Region. The growing scarcity of potable water has pushed many households in some localities like Yaounde and Buea to depend highly on boreholes which run the risk of depleting the water table and causing water bodies to gradually shrink.
As Cameroon is endowed with many water bodies including the Atlantic Ocean and rivers like Wouri, Moungo, Logone, Nyong, Sanaga, Dja, amongst others, it is ironical that most administrative Divisions in the country are named after these rivers, yet the population suffers from accessing safe drinking water. The powers that be therefore need to redouble efforts to harness the huge water potential in the country and facilitate access to potable water, which is an indispensable social amenity. It is a basic human right for the population to have access to safe drinking water and the tax payers deserve to be provided with such facilities. There are countries widely covered by deserts but whose citizens can boast of having more access to safe drinking water than Cameroon. This brings to mind the fact that these desert-like countries have adopted water recycling techniques for the population to be served. 
In Cameroon, the perennial issue of water scarcity is even further compounded by infrastructure deficits and management as CAMWATER faces challenges of insufficient production capacity and aging, poorly maintained distribution pipes. Also rapid urbanization and population growth in towns like Buea and Douala has pushed demand upward, thus outpacing supply and creating severe shortage of the precious liquid. The nefarious effects of climate change with the drying up of water bodies is not helping matters. While some communities go for months without a drop of water from their taps, other areas have their taps running nonstop. It is commonplace to even find pipe leakages abandoned for months with water wasted with impunity. It is high time authorities took the bull by the horn by engaging in sensitisation of the population on proper management ...