Lum Edith Achamukong
February 06 2012

A project to supply pipe borne water in the Eyumojock Council Area in Manyu Division of the South West Region has been completed and handed over to the local populations.

The project was realized thanks to financial assistance from the Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM) to the tune of one hundred and seventy five million FCFA.

For a period of one year, stand taps were effectively constructed to serve the communities of Akak, Okoroba and Mbinda Tabo of the Obang clan and Otu village of the Ejagham Njemaya in Eyumokock sub division.

At a ceremony to receive the water projects, the Mayor of the Eyumokock Rural Council Mr. James Agbor Mbi said the project is his priority considering the water needs of the about three thousand people of his municipality. He thus called on them to protect the water sources and support the water management committee.

Prior to the project to supply water to the people using stand taps, the Eyumojock council had drilled some 20 wells and boreholes as a measure to alleviate the water crisis rocking the Council Area.

Sanitation around water sources is pivotal

The donation from FEICOM comes a few months after the launch of the Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Project to raise the potable water access rate from the current 33% to 60% in the South West Region and three other regions of Cameroon. It is expected to generate a change of attitude and behavior with respect to hygiene and health, within the beneficiary community, and the average prevalence rate for diseases associated with the lack of safe water and sanitation will decline by 30% from 19% to 13.5% during this period. Hence the project will meet the drinking needs of 668.000 inhabitants and prompt a change of behavior with regards to hygiene and health.

The goal of the Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Project is to support Government efforts to increase access to drinking water and sanitation and strengthen the sector’s managerial capacity. It falls under the implementation of the Cameroon Government’s 2008-2015 action plan whose ultimate goal is to raise rural drinking water and sanitation access rates to 80% and 60% respectively.

The project covers four regions in Cameroon namely the West, North West South West and South Regions. The main expected outputs of this project are: the rehabilitation and construction of 88 drinking water supply networks, the construction of 285 six-compartment ventilated pit latrines in schools and health centers, 1332 single-compartment ventilated pit latrines on private plots and 2 gender sensitive toilet complexes in the South and North West Regions respectively, training and awareness raising for beneficiary communities on drinking water use, sanitation and hygiene and capacity building for sector management structures.

About 750.000 inhabitants (52% women) are expected to start using improved latrines. The institutional structures involved in project implementation namely the councils, National enterprises and consultancy firms, community interest groups and women’s associations will also benefit from the project. The project will create about 300 non permanent jobs during implementation and 154 permanent jobs at completion.

The African Development Fund will shoulder 87% of the financial responsibility while Cameroon will take charge of 13%.

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