DOUALA: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Douala (Cameroon) is grossly deficient, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Douala.
This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.
N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city.
Table of Contents
- Background information
- Water resources and supply: overview
- Sanitation access
- Sewerage system
- Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
- Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
- Sanitation in low-income districts
- Responsibility
- Sanitation masterplan?
- Sanitation financing
- Major investments and donor interventions
- Sources and further reading
- References
- Other City Profiles
Background information
Douala is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 2.1 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a flat coastal city, with extensive swampy areas; see Ndjama et al. (2008) for a useful sketch map. Climate is tropical monsoon (Köppen classification Am). Flooding is frequent and severe, with severe erosive effects (Tchotsoua 2007). Douala is a major port and industrial centre, with diverse industrial activities including food processing, cement manufacture and aluminium smelting (Kemajou et al. 2008). There is probably significant urban agricultural activity within the metropolitan area, though we do not have any specific information on this. A large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements (Habitat for Humanity 2010).
Water resources and supply: overview
We currently have no information on water resources available to Douala. We likewise have little information on water supply and distribution. A 2007 news report (API 2007) suggests that about 400,000 people “have access to” the piped water supply: if correct, this is about 20% of the population. Ndjama et al. (2008) report data for in seven low-income districts located throughout the city (Newtown Airport, Bonoloka, Brazzaville, Madagascar, Oyack, Soboum and Tergal): the data is unfortunately not clearly presented, but suggest that city-wide about 40% of households had in-plot or communal access to the piped water supply, while about 40% used wells and about 20% bore-holes. These percentages varied greatly between the 7 districts.
Sanitation access
We do not have city-wide coverage data.; however, there is no significant sewerage system, and sanitation is certainly very poor, and aggravated by the swampy nature of parts of city. Guévart et al. (2006) states that, in informal settlements, most households have very poor quality stilt latrines (latrines sur pilotis) over a shallow ditch; if and when these ditches are desludged, it is typically in an informal manner. Ndjama et al. (2008) provide detailed quantitative data on sanitation coverage in seven low-income districts (Newtown Airport, Bonoloka, Brazzaville, Madagascar, Oyack, Soboum and Tergal): on average, 32% of households have flush toilets (presumably discharging to septic tanks or directly to open drains), 52% have pit latrines, 9% have stilt latrines, and 4% practice open defecation close to the house or in watercourses. Newtown Airport and Madagascar are particularly poor settlements, in marshy sites and with around half of houses built from plyboard. Cholera is endemic (Guévart et al. 2008).
Sewerage system
At most 2% of the population is connected to a sewer (Maiga et al. 2002); any existing sewers are probably non-operational, and there are no functioning wastewater treatment facilities.
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
Guévart et al. (2006) state that faecal sludge management is entirelty uncontrolled and chaotic, with (at best) dumping of sludge to open drains.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, Douala has no operational sewage treatment facilities.
Sanitation in low-income districts
We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements. However, Ndjama et al. (2008) reports very useful data on sanitation coverage and related issues in seven low-income districts (Newtown Airpot, Bonoloka, Brazzaville, Madagascar, Oyack, Soboum and Tergal).
Responsibility
Piped water is supplied by the state water utility Camwater. No information currently available on responsibilities for sanitation. Institutional capacity is clearly very poor.
Sanitation masterplan?
Yes: a masterplan (Schéma Directeur d’Assainissement Liquide) has reportedly been recently completed (CUD, 2009); however, we do not currently have access to this document.
Sanitation financing
No specific information available.
Major investments and donor interventions
We are not aware of major sanitation investments ongoing or planned in Douala; this contrasts with the capital Yaoundé, where a major AfDB investment programme is underway.
According to a news report, not independently confirmed by us, the Chinese government has provided a 26m US$ loan for improvement of Douala’s water supply (API 2007).
A small-scale UN-Habitat programme of sanitation-related studies and capacity building is reportedly underway in Douala and Yaoundé (UN-Habitat 2006).
Sources and further reading
Communaute Urbaine de Douala: http://www.douala-city.org/fr/?e1=84&kid=1&bnid=84
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing: http://www.minduh.gov.cm/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=91
References
API (2007) “China gives CFA14 billion to support water supply in Douala”. News report 3 Sep 2007. http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/china-gives-cfa14-billion-to-support-water-supply-in-douala/
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
CUD [Communaute Urbain de Douala] (2009) Strategie de developpement de la Ville de Douala et de son Aire Metropolitaine. Formulation des Axes Strategiques. http://www.cifal-ouaga.org/niamey/vids_docs/0828%20CDS%20axes%20strat%C3%A9giques.pdf
Guévart E et al. (2006) Déterminants du choléra à Douala. Med Trop 2006; 66 : 283-291
Habitat for Humanity (2010) Cameroon country profile. http://www.habitat.org/intl/ame/217.aspx
Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443
Ndjama J et al. (2008) Water supply, sanitation and health risks in Douala, Cameroon. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 2(12): 422-429. http://www.acadjourn.org/AJEST/PDF/pdf%202008/Dec/Ndjama%20et%20al.pdf
Kemajou A et al. (2008) Is industrial development incompatible with constraints of industrial ecology in Cameroon? International Scientific Journal for Alternative Energy and Ecology 6(62). http://isjaee.hydrogen.ru/pdf/pdf/06-08/Kemajou_194.pdf
Maiga AH et al. (2002) Valorisation des sous-produits de l'épuration par lagunage en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre: Analyse comparataive des pratiques dans six pays au Sud du Sahara. PSEAU. http://www.pseau.org/epa/gdda/Actions/Action_A10/2002_Envirowater_maiga.pdf
Tanawa E et al. (2002) Habitat and protection of water resources in suburban areas in African cities. Building and Environment 37(3): 269-275. DOI: 10.1016/S0360-1323(01)00024-5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V23-44PCJDG-6/2/ef2d9322f4951747580505018dc8ff85
Tchotsua M (2007) Les risques morpho-hydrologiques en milieux urbains et ruraux tropicaux: cas de Yaounde, de Douala et de la Vallee de la Benoue au Cameroun. Poster presented at the “Gestión intégrée des eaux et des sols. Ressources, aménagements et riques en mileiux urbain et ruraux” conference. Hanoi 5-8 November 2007. http://www.infotheque.info/fichiers/JSIR-AUF-Hanoi07/presentations/AJSIR_pwt_1-p2_Tchotsoua.pdf
UN-Habitat (2006) Improving access to water supply and sanitation: Cameroon. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=3243&catid=270&typeid=13&subMenuId=0
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