Prolonged Power Outage Leaves Hundreds of Buea Students in Darkness

Buea, South West Region, Cameroon — A prolonged power outage has left a student residential area in Bakweri Fence, around Tarred Malingo in Buea, without electricity for over a week, causing significant distress among the affected residents. An anonymous resident issued a distress call, urging authorities and the public to address the dire situation.

The outage has impacted more than 50 houses and over 100 students who are struggling to cope with the absence of electricity. The state electricity supplier, Energy of Cameroon (ENEO), has been criticized for its lack of response and action to restore power in the area. “It has not been easy here for us, we cannot study, we cannot sleep or eat properly, nothing is moving,” one of the students told MMI.

The power cuts in Buea are part of a larger issue affecting many regions across Cameroon. ENEO has acknowledged a supply deficit of 150 megawatts of electricity, primarily due to a drop in water levels at various hydroelectric power plants. This deficit has resulted in frequent power cuts in major cities such as Douala and Yaoundé, as well as in Buea, Bafoussam, Bamenda, and towns in the Northern regions.

In a statement earlier this year, ENEO attributed the blackouts to the low water levels at the Memve’ele hydroelectric dam, which has significantly reduced its production capacity. The company has implemented rotational electricity rationing to manage the production shortfall within the Southern Interconnected Network (RIS), covering the Centre, East, West, Littoral, South, North West, and South West regions.

“The quantity of energy available for distribution is significantly limited due to a combination of inherent operational constraints in the system and production concerns. Primarily, the ongoing low water levels in the Ntem River have led to a significant decrease in Memve’ele production,” ENEO explained in their statement.

The Lom Pangar reservoir dam power plant in the East Region’s inability to produce at its full 30 MW capacity has made the situation worse. Additionally, the absence of a transmission line between Bertoua and Abong Mbang has prevented the distribution of power from this plant to the rest of the Southern Interconnected Network.

As students in Buea continue to suffer from the prolonged power outage, there is an urgent call for ENEO to take responsibility and restore electricity to the affected areas. The lack of power has severely disrupted daily life and academic activities, prompting residents to seek immediate intervention from the authorities and the public.

Mimi Mefo Info