YAOUNDÉ: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Yaoundé (capital of 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 Yaoundé.
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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
Yaoundé is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.7 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a hilly inland city at an altitude of about 750 m above sea level, traversed by various tributaries of the Mfoundi River. Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). Flooding is severe and frequent: according to the AfDB 2005 Appraisal for the Yaoundé Sanitation Project, “The city’s main rainwater drainage systems are regularly blocked by all types of solid waste. As a result, during the rainy season, floods (15 to 20 major floods per year) totally disrupt the town’s socio-economic activities and especially, those in the squatter areas. Indeed, about 53,000 people (or about 9,000 households) are regularly flooded and 243,000 people (or about 40,000 households) occasionally”. Pollutant industrial activities include food-processingy. There is extensive agricultural activity within the urban area (Endamana et al. 2004, Parrot et al. 2009). About 85% of the population is estimated to live in informal settlements (Sietchiping 2004; AfDB 2005).
Water resources and supply: overview
The piped supply of about 100,000 m3/day currently comes from the Nyong River, through the Akomnyanda water extraction and treatment plant constructed in 1980s (AEUD 2010). The Méfou River, severely polluted by wastewaters from Yaoundé (via the Mfoundi), reportedly discharges to the Nyong River upstream of the Akomnyanda plant (AfDB 2005). Several major projects are reportedly currently underway to develop other water sources for the city (AEUD 2010). Tanawa et al. (2002) report that less than 50% of the city’s population have access to the piped supply. In low-income districts, the proportion of households with in-house piped supply is reported to be between 17 and 33% (26−33% Bemmo et al. 1998, 17% Kuitcha et al. 2008); the proportion with community standpipe supply between 14 and 56% (14-52% Bemmo et al. 1998, 56% Kuitcha et al. 2008), and the proportion without access to the piped supply between 19 and 45% (19−45% Bemmo et al. 1998; 30% Kuitcha et al. 2008); these authors report wells, springs and surface watercourses to be important sources; neither mentions either boreholes or water vendors. Tanawa et al. (2002) state that spring water is preferentially used.
Sanitation access
Most households in low-income districts have unhygienic toilets discharging more or less directly to the environment. In the low-income districts studied by Bemmo et al. (1998), most households (about 90%) had low-quality latrines; this category probably includes stilt latrines over ditches or water bodies; where septic tanks were present, these were typically of poor quality; latrines and septic tanks are often sited close to water sources, and latrines are often deliberately drained to water sources; latrines are frequently used for greywater as well as excreta, so fill very rapidly (Bemmo et al. 1998). In the low-income districts studied by Kuitcha et al. (2008), most households (73%) had stilt latrines over ditches or directly over water bodies, while 11% had pit latrines and 11% flush toilets (presumably discharging to septic tanks or directly to water bodies or open drains). Open defecation is reported to be very rare (Kuitcha et al. 2008), and public toilets do not appear to be widely used (though Bemmo et al. 1998 note that in some districts latrines are often shared by more than one household). Tanawa et al. (2002) also provide useful information on sanitation practices. We do not have data on city-wide sanitation access: Yaoundé does not appear to have a functional sewerage system (Koanda 2006), so in wealthier district sseptic tanks are presumably widely used.
Sewerage system
As far as we are aware, Youandé does not have a functional sewerage system.
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
No information: as far as we are aware, Youandé has no formal systems for septage management.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
No information: as far as we are aware, Youandé has no major 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, very detailed and useful information on the location and characteristics of major informal settlements is given in Bemmo et al. (1998); as part of this study, detailed analyses of sanitation access and other sanitation-related aspects were carried out in the settlements of Ekonou I, Ekonou II, Kondengui and Mvog Ada. See also Sietchiping (2004) and (Kuitcha et al. 2008).
Responsibility
Ministry of Water Resources and Energy (MINEE) has overall responsibility for water and sanitation policy. Specific responsibilities for urban sanitation are divided between various institutions (including MINEE, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing MINDUH, and the Communauté Urbaine de Yaoundé); the Communauté Urbaine is responsible for managing sanitation services, with respnsibilities including ensuring technical compliance of sanitation installations and private enterprises charged with collection and disposal of night soil; fragmentation of responsibilities is a problem (AfDB 2005).
Sanitation masterplan?
Yaoundé City Sanitation Master Plan, 1996; though this appears to focus currently on rainwater drainage, not excreta disposal. 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, the ongoing AfDB Yaounde Sanitation Project is designed to improve stormwater drainage throughout the city.
Sanitation financing
No specific information at present.
Major investments and donor interventions
Ongoing as at April 2010 (started 2006), principal funder AfDB: Yaounde Sanitation Project (PADY), mainly rainwater drainage to mitigate the city's severe flooding problems. http://www.afdb.org/en/projects-operations/project-portfolio/project/p-cm-eb0-003
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
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing: http://www.minduh.gov.cm/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=91
Bemmo et al. (1998) gives very detailed information on Youande’s informal settlements and sanitation issues within these settlements. Tanawa et al. (2002), AfDB (2005) and Kuitcha et al. (2008) also contain useful information.
References
AEUD (2010) “CAMWATER: Plus de 220 milliards de FCfa ont déjà été mobilisés auprès des partenaires”. Press release 19 Feb 2010.
AfDB (2005) APPRAISAL REPORT: YAOUNDÉ SANITATION PROJECT (PADY). http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/CM-2005-114-EN-ADF-BD-WP-CAMEROON-YAOUNDE-SANITATION-PROJECT-PADY.PDF SEE ALSO Yaounde Sanitation Project (PADY) http://www.afdb.org/en/projects-operations/project-portfolio/project/p-cm-eb0-003/
Bemmo N et al. (1998) Impact sur la santé humaine et l’environnement des systèmes actuels d’évacuation des eaux usées, des excréta et des eaux de vidanges dans les quartiers denses à habitat spontané et des zones périurbaines de Yaoundé. ENSP Yaoundé, Cameroon. http://www.pseau.org/epa/epaqppc/rapports/liste_fr.htm#ar4
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
Endamana D et al. (2004) Wastewater reuse for urban and periurban agriculture in Yaounde, Cameroon: opportunities and constraints. Proceedings of the International symposium on Water, Poverty and Productive Uses of Water at the Household Level. 21-23 January 2003, Muldersdrift, South Africa. http://www.irc.nl/redir/content/download/8690/132096/file/proceeding_07.pdf
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
Koanda H (2006) Vers un assainissement urbain durable en Afrique Subsaharienne : approche innovante de planification de la gestion des boues de vidange. http://www.fr.irc.nl/page/35304
Kuitcha D et al. (2008) Water supply, sanitation and health risks in Yaounde, Cameroon. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Vol. 2 (11). pp. 379-386. http://www.acadjourn.org/AJEST/PDF/pdf%202008/Nov/Kuitcha%20et%20al.pdf
Parrot L, Sotamenou J, Dia Kamgnia B & Nantchouang A (2009) Determinants of domestic waste input use in urban agriculture lowland systems in Africa: The case of Yaounde in Cameroon. Habitat International 33(4): 357-364. DOI: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.08.002. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V9H-4TPNCWJ-1/2/0890ad47b760e46fad7616515accd379
Sietchiping, R. (2004) A Geographic Information Systems and Cellular Automata-based Model of Informal Settlement Growth, University of Melbourne, School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies.” http://www.etsav.upc.es/personals/iphs2004/pdf/205_p.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
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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