Climate: “Shortage of water and electricity” surge in northern Cameroon amidst harsh weather

Inhabitants of the North and Far-North Regions of Cameroon have been experiencing extremely hot weather this month. Locals in Garoua told MMI “the month of March is the hottest, everyone knows that”.

With temperatures going up to 42 degrees, many are concerned about the impact this unsavory condition might have on their health and that of their families.

In some neighborhoods of Garoua, especially the poverty-stricken ones of “Demsaré” and “Roumdé Adjia”, it is an increasingly common sight to see families sleeping on mats outside their houses as temperatures are unendurable within their home premises. Amadou, a resident of “Demsaré” told MMI “the fresh breeze outside when night falls helps us to sleep”.

MMI reached out to some inhabitants of Mokolo in the Mayo-Tsanaga division who complained, “The heat this year is unbearable”. A young woman called Laure told MMI “we don’t have water and electricity, all we have is just heat”.

The government has been rationing electricity and water in the three Northern Regions of Cameroon for over a year now.

Residents of these regions have been complaining of neglect. MMI reporters on the ground in Maroua can confirm that there was no water nor electricity in the neighborhood of “Domayo” on Sunday, March 21st from 1 pm to 7 pm. Residents told MMI “ this is recurring, it has been like that for over a year now”.

With the shortage of water and electricity, coupled with the extremely harsh hot weather, the economic and social well-being of inhabitants of these regions are under continuous jeopardy at the hands of both government and nature.