Destruction of the Drinking Water Distribution Network: Camwater Denounces

The repeated incidents directly affect 15 localities in the Centre region, including Akonolinga, Bafia, Mbalmayo, Obala, and Yoko. These breakdowns result in significant financial losses for the state operator, while also leading to dry cuts in water supply to households and industrial users.

The damage affects equipment financed with public funds and destroyed prematurely due to ignorance of the water supply lines. However, existing regulations require decentralized territorial authorities and ministerial departments to consult with concessionaires before any excavation. The prior approach aims to plan the relocation of pipes before the intervention of excavators. Camwater recommends the establishment of a systematic protocol for detecting networks to avoid the deterioration of state assets and ensure the continuity of drinking water distribution.

The financial stakes go beyond the simple cost of emergency repairs borne by the concessionary company. The recurrent deterioration of pipes under the road surface accentuates the volume of unbilled water, a technical indicator that degrades the overall performance of treatment plants. A formal interministerial consultation appears indispensable to impose pecuniary responsibility clauses on faulty construction companies and preserve the profitability of public investments in urban hydraulics.

Beyond the preservation of underground pipes, the lack of operational harmonization between road managers and infrastructure operators penalizes the business climate by degrading access to basic production factors. The cost of restoring damaged pipes burdens the budget envelope devoted to modernizing existing water supply networks. By encouraging public and private stakeholders to rigorously map the subsurface before starting major works, the general management attempts to stem the flow of operating capital and secure the financial recovery trajectory of the state structure.

Nlend Flore