Brenda Yufeh
8 May 2008
May 6th at 6:45 a.m., Francoise Tsipalla, living at the Cite Vert neighbourhood in Yaounde is about to carry out her daily chores of washing dresses and cleaning the home. Within five minutes after seeing off the children to school, Francoise realises that water no longer flows from the tap.
She thought by noon there will be water. But this was not the case. By 6 a.m. on May 7th, water had still not come. In the early hours of yesterday morning, Francoise and other members of the house went out with containers in search of water. They were taken aback when they realised that the entire Cite Vert neighbourhood was also out in search of water. After climbing the Meyong-Meyeme hill, a village around Cite Vert, the inhabitants were able to fetch water from a spring.
The water problem experienced by people living in the Cite Vert neighbourhood is not different from the case of inhabitants in other neighbourhoods in Yaounde. While some people do not have water running off their taps, others complain about low water pressure and the fact that water flows for a short time and stops. Jeanne-Flore who leaves in the Anguissa neighbourhood says their situation is not different from what is happening at Cite Vert. Throughout the day of May 6th there was no water at the Anguissa neighbourhood. Unlike Francoise who had to manage the water problem by bathing each child of the house with a one and a half litre of water, Jeanne-Flore says she had to freely use what she had stored. But her fear now is that, if the water scarcity goes on for long, she will have severe problems coping with the situation especially as there is no spring around her neighbourhood.
Those living in the Nsimeyong, Nkomo, Rue Damas as well as the Nlongkak localities might have a different story to tell about the water problems. But this does not put them on a better side as they say one needs to be patient and stay up late at night to be able to carry water. At the Nkomo and Nlongkak neighbourhoods, Reine Matai says throughout the day of May 6th there was no water. But water came during the early hours of May 7th and by 7. 00 a.m. the taps again went dry. Thus, those who were not awake late at night do not have water. Elizabeth Efule who leaves at the Nsimeyong neighbourhood says one has to wait for close to 30 minutes to have two litres of water since the water pressure is very low.
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