Cameroon, an area beset by drought, is one of the countries that used to have a huge water scarcity crisis, made worse by the influx of refugees fleeing Boko Haram attacks.
Access to potable water was minimal, resulting in many deaths from water-related illnesses such as diarrhoea, and minimal water for irrigation purposes left farmers in the agricultural sector in dire need too.
Many herders in the neighbouring villages of Katchel, Dir Irlagare, Mindif, Larie, Mayo Bahehel and Ouro Dole lost virtually all of their animals due to the harsh drought and drying up groundwater sources – these livestock were their main form of income, and this just increased the poverty in the region.
How Access to Water Benefitted Business in Cameroon
The government of Cameroon pioneered a $1.3m a solar-powered water distribution system in the north to provide access to potable water and to ease irrigation for the farmers.
What has been interesting though is that the project has had an unexpected effect; many of the recipients in the local village of Mindif have actually used the water to start small businesses which are acting as a form of poverty alleviation and an aid in adapting to the increasingly problematic climatic conditions.
The Centre for Environment and Rural Transformation (Cerut), a Cameroonian NGO, is helping local communities, particularly women, invest in income-generating activities to fight poverty, and according to coordinator Zachee Nzoh Ngandembou, “Using the water source to invest in businesses shows how water resources can be used to build resilience among very poor communities.â€
The new water supply system, consisting of a 2,500 cubic metre water tower, built into the hills 15 km from Mindif and solar panels, makes use of the overabundance of sunshine to pump more than 40,000 litres of potable water to the villages per day from an underground reservoir. The water is distributed through a network of pipes to Mindif and the other villages, and provides the required fresh water that is making water-related diseases and subsequent deaths a thing of the past.
The water is stored in more than 40 water storage containers and delivered into household containers via a low-maintenance hand pump. The project has ensured that clean drinking water is available to 80% of villagers in a its first year and is hailed as a huge success.
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