After facing four frustrating days without potable water, residents of several neighbourhoods in Douala finally received a response from national water utility Camwater.
In a communiqué issued Monday, March 18, Camwater acknowledged the disruption and offered an explanation for the water shortage affecting Deido, Bonaloka, Bepanda, Bali, Ndokotti, and other areas.
The crux of the issue lies with the Bonabéri water treatment station.
According to the communiqué, Camwater is collaborating with energy provider Sonatrel to address challenges at the station.
The nature of these challenges was not explicitly mentioned in the press release.
However, the communiqué offered a glimmer of hope to the residents. Camwater reassured the public that “things are returning to normal progressively.”
This implies a gradual restoration of water supply across the affected neighbourhoods.
The lack of water for four days caused significant inconvenience for Douala residents. Many struggled to meet their daily hygiene needs, do laundry, or prepare meals.
The situation also raised concerns about sanitation, particularly in densely populated areas.
While Camwater’s statement provides some relief, it doesn’t address the root cause of the problem nor offer a concrete timeline for when normal service will resume.
Residents are likely to remain apprehensive until their taps start running consistently again.
This incident highlights the importance of reliable water infrastructure and efficient communication during service disruptions.
Douala residents have expressed frustration over the lack of information during the outage. Moving forward, Camwater can improve public trust by providing more transparent and timely updates during service interruptions.
Not only Douala is faced with water issues, but many towns in Cameroon do go through hell concerning water issues. Inhabitants of the North and south west regions are frequently faced with such.
For now, residents in the affected neighborhoods wait anxiously for the return of running water. Camwater’s ongoing collaboration with Sonatrel is a positive step, but they will need to deliver on their promise of a progressive return to normalcy to regain the public’s confidence.
