Natives of Ashong village, in Cameroon’s North West Region, have raised over FCFA 16.5 million to rehabilitate existing water infrastructures and extend water supply to the entire village.
Grouped under the Ashong Social, Cultural, and Development Association (ASCUDA), they raised the money during a fundraising in Tiko, South West Region, on Saturday, November 9.
According to the President General of ASCUDA, Mbah Timben John, water infrastructure remains one of the greatest challenges in their village.
Ashong is one of the 22 villages in the Moghamu clan that constitute the Batibo Subdivision of Cameroon’s North West Region.
Water Crisis in Ashong
In 1981, the community constructed the potable water infrastructures in Ashong.
The only challenge at that time was inadequate finance to boost the water supply to the entire village.
Forty-three years have passed, and no one has rehabilitated the water systems.
Ashong indigenes stated that the village possesses natural water sources capable of supplying the entire Moghamo clan, yet these resources remain underutilised.
Old taps exist, some have sustained damage, and there is no water catchment to store water for use during scarcity.
During the dry season, the taps at times run dry, pushing villagers to rely on streams, which are unhygienic. In some cases, the children would trek long distances to get water for daily use.
“The water that is there could supply the population at the moment, but there have been a lot of leakages that require a lot of maintenance,” a 54-year-old man who travelled from the village to attend the fund-raising in Tiko told MMI.
“This is dry season, and the water is unable to reach everybody because of the leakages,” he added.
Solution Underway
Owing to the challenges, ASCUDA will now inject the sum of FCFA 16.5 million FCFA to resolve those issues.
Aside from that, it will use the money to extend water to other parts of Ashong village.
“The quality of water and infrastructures have degraded. This is the time to do rehabilitation,” ASCUDA President General Mbah Timben John said.
The umbrella association will not only be rehabilitating but also extend the water to cover the entire village, considering the population has also increased.
So, the estimated budget is over FCFA 60 million, but ASCUDA said they are raising the funds gradually.
“We are starting with FCFA 36 million, and eventually we will continue with a lot of fundraising. This means we could get as much as 60 million francs CFA to complete the job,” he said.
“We are going to make sure that water gets to every house, every child, in schools and hospitals, and also improve the quality of water to stop children from being sick,” he added.
The event was attended by the various branches of ASCUDA at home and abroad, including their Fon, HRM Fon Mbafor III.
