A water network to rehabilitate, and then maintain

The commune of Bangoua, in Cameroon, is located in a mountain range in the west of the country. In 1984, a first water network had been built to supply drinking water to the population: due to the widely dispersed habitat and the particular relief of the area, it consisted of four distinct, autonomous and interconnected services.
Yet because of the ravages of time, and the difficulties of maintenance, the network stopped working in 2003. The inhabitants have been deprived of drinking water for three years, and procure it wherever they can: springs, groundwater outflows, streams, etc. Apart from the arduous transport of this water, they are again at the mercy of all the health problems associated with water of dubious purity. And to make matters worse, the hospital, which has operating theaters and which receives patients from the entire region, no longer has running water!

An indispensable management committee

The restoration of drinking water distribution in the commune, an indispensable prerequisite to improve the health situation of Bangoua.

The population, through the voice of its representative, the young king of the region, therefore demanded the speedy restoration of the old water network. It entrusted the running of the project to the association Les Enfants du Ndé, which has been active since 2002 alongside the villagers to help the entire community to develop. Being an employee of Veolia Eau, its president, Nana Dwanang Richard, naturally applied to the company.
A first investigative survey, conducted by two Veolia Waterforce volunteers, took place in February 2006. It identified all the indispensable prerequisites for rehabilitating the water network. Technically speaking, this meant repairing the boreholes, the water treatment stations, standpipes, connections, and checking the operation of the network under pressure; in social terms, it is indispensable to protect the installations from vandalism and to create a local water service organization: a management committee, a supervisory body, and the training of employees responsible for this service (water inspectors, center head, managers).
The 25 000 euros paid by Fondation Veolia Environnement will help launch the various worksites. This will be supplemented by other contributions and private donations from the diaspora of Bangoua. On the whole, the entire rehabilitation will take place over about twelve months. Drinking water will then again be available throughout the locality.