Water supply, sanitation and health risks in Yaounde, Cameroon

Population growth and rapid urbanization in Cameroon have led to major demographic changes in the urban centres, potentially resulting in serious environmental problems in the most populated cities such as Yaounde. In order to better understand the impacts on the hygiene conditions in certain quarters of this political capital, we carried out in March 2007, an investigation on the difficulties of water supply, sanitation and health problems. The investigation involved 1397 households distributed among 7 quarters with informal settlements. 17% of households only had a private connection to national company of drinking water distribution (CAMWATER) because of the lack of infrastructure and the high cost of the connection. The households which are unable to afford the cost of getting connected to CAMWATER network, exploit water from CAMWATER public paying fountain (56% of households), wells (17% of households), springs (4% of households), bore-holes (0.07% of household) and rivers (0.001% of household) to satisfy their needs. The majority of these water points (wells, springs and rivers) could be polluted, because of the informal nature of settlements which leads to proximity of habitats to latrines and to points of discharge of waste (solid and liquids). The health problems issuing probably from these potential polluted water points which at times occur as stagnant ponds around the dwellings is shown by the population of the zone of study in particular cases of malaria (100% of households), diarrhoea (24% of household), dysentery (24% of household), typhoid (0.07% of household), skin disease (0.07% of households). These results highlight the problems to which the authorities in charge of the environment and health must first bring a solution in a context to fight against poverty in Cameroon.Key words: Environment, cleansing, drinking water, peri-urban zone, Yaounde

Impact de la variabilité climatique sur le régime des cours d'eau du Sud-Cameroun : climat équatorial

Des données de pluie et de débit ont été collectées et mises à jour en zone équatoriale camerounaise, notamment pour la décennie 1990. A travers des représentations graphiques et l’application de tests statistiques de détection de rupture, l’analyse a porté sur des totaux pluviométriques, des débits et des coefficients d’écoulements, aux pas de temps mensuel, saisonnier et annuel. Les résultats montrent que les valeurs annuelles de pluie et débit ont diminué lors des phases aigües de sécheresse (1972–73, 1983–84). La variabilité climatique la plus significative résulte des modifications des pluies des “saisons sèches” qui induisent une tendance à un changement à long terme du déroulement du cycle hydrologique annuel. La diminution de la pluviométrie de la “saison sèche” d’hiver boréal (décembre à février) crée un déficit hydrique plus important qui entraîne une baisse des coefficients d’écoulement de la saison des pluies de printemps boréal (mars à juin). Inversement, l’augmentation des écoulements en automne (septembre à novembre), alors que la pluviométrie correspondante a peu varié, tient probablement au fait que les pluies de la “saison sèche” d’été (juillet et août) sont plus élevées depuis quelques décennies, ce qui entretient vraisemblablement une humidité du sol plus élevée favorable au ruissellement au début de la crue d’automne.Mots clefs : changement climatique ; climat équatorial ; séries chronologiques ; Sud Cameroun

Hydroclimatogical Changes and Impacts on Seasonal Regimes of African Equatorial Rivers.

International audienc

L’aménagement des barrages de retenue d’eau, une stratégie d’adaptation à la sécheresse dans le bassin du fleuve Niger ?

International audienc

Evolution des régimes hydrologiques en région équatoriale camerounaise : un impact de la variabilité climatique en Afrique équatoriale ? = Evolution of hydrological regimes in the equatorial area of Cameroon : an impact of climate variability in equatorial Africa?

Analysis of the spatio-temporal variability of rainfall amounts, discharge and runoff coefficients, for monthly, seasonal and annual time steps in equatorial south Cameroon, reveals that annual values of rainfall and discharge have decreased during the years of greatest drought (1972-1973 and 1983-1984). The most significant climatic change is a modification of rainfall regime during the dry seasons, which led to a change ill the annual hydrological cycle. The decrease in rainfall during the dry season in December-February generates a decrease in the runoff coefficients during the subsequent short rainy season (March-June). Conversely, although the corresponding rainfall has not changed much during the rainy season in September-November, the discharge has increased, probably due to the fact that rainfall during the short dry season (July and August) has been much higher for several decades. This is assumed to indicate a change in climate in southwest Cameroon, also evident in Gabon and Congo. Over the Kienke basin, the progressive disappearance of he short dry season in July-August has resulted in a tendency for the two rainy seasons to merge into one

Le fleuve Niger et le changement climatique au cours des 100 dernières années

International audienc

Water, agriculture and poverty in the Niger River Basin.

In Fisher, M.; Cook, Simon (Eds.). Water, food and poverty in river basins: defining the limits. London, UK: Routledg