Cameroon is endowed with abundant water resources.From Lake Chad in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south, it has numerousrivers, lakes and springs. In fact, Cameroon has Africa's largest hydro-electricpotential after the DRC. But in mostparts of the country, there is little safe drinking water. That leads people tounsafe water from wells and streams.
The UnitedNations Development Program says less than half of Cameroon's estimated 18million inhabitants have access to safe drinking water. The situation is especiallyserious in the most populated and rapidly expanding urban centers like Douala.
Taps often dry up for months and people have todepend on water from wells built dangerously close to latrines and cesspools.Others drink water sold on the streets ? without knowing where it came from.
Water-related diseases like cholera and typhoid areendemic. The following comments comefrom "people on the street" interviews.
-- "Some years back, I had typhoid because of the poorquality of drinking water here in Douala."
-- "Well, I have to admit I face problems with drinkingwater here in Douala. I don't drink tap water and I have to buy bottled water.I don't want to come down with typhoid or cholera or anything like that. Each timeyou turn on the tap, the water is brown."
-- "I think the government has to do something rightnow. I have close family members who died two years ago because of cholera."
In 2004, a cholera outbreak in Douala swept throughthe country, killing about 70 people. Many feared a recurrence, with more andmore people showing symptoms of the disease.
NGOs like Plan International have stepped upcampaigns to warn the public of the dangers of unsafe drinking water.