Sewer System : Constructed Gutters Begging For Attention

Many gutters that were constructed as a measure to allow for free flow of water and rescue Douala’s slum neighbourhoods from perennial flooding have lost their vital function. This is the situation across some neighbourhoods in Douala this March 28, 2022.
The gutters were constructed wide and deep with concrete and their bordering surfaces were laid with lateritic ground that gave their respective neighbourhoods a facelift and attraction that people used not only as roads but also as leisure areas to take pictures and enjoy fresh air. Immediately after their construction, the structures were also used as resting places especially where flower trees bordered them. This was the situation through out the city where the gutters were constructed, especially in New Bell, Deido, Akwa among other neighbourhoods.
Claudette Vitalis, Ngangue resident, says “Even though these gutters have given the neighbourhood this wonderful attraction, lifting it from a slum to a place to be, little has been made to sustain their beauty and proper use. The gutters constructed close to our homes have become a foul smelling place; rain water and water from homes don’t flow through them. They are blocked off by all forms of waste.”
Another resident in New Bell, Boris Nya...