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Safe Water For All Initiative

A project that seeks to ensure that all citizens in Bamenda have access to safe and clean water through improved water management and conservation practices.

Municipality

CM
Bamenda 1 Council, Mezam,

Category / Sub-Category / Topic

Environment, Water

Type of investment needed

Grant

Associated SDGs

The challenge

Access to safe and clean water all year round has been a major problem in the city of Bamenda. With a population of 594,000 inhabitants in the city, only 3 out of 20 households can access clean water all year round. The Safe Water For All Initiative is a Project that seeks to ensure that everyone has access to safe and clean water.

The project

The Safe Water For All Initiative is a multifaceted 18 months project that seeks to address the issue of water shortage in the city of Bamenda. This will be achieved through construction of 12 boreholes, planting of trees to protect water catchments, training workshops to empower communities on water conservation, and setting up aáter management committees to manage the infrastructure. In the first 12 months, there shall be construction of 8 boreholes in the first eight most affected communities in Bamendankwe. The water from these boreholes shall be pumped into a reservoir which itself is equipped with water filters. The boreholes shall be treated with sea sand, then common salt and chlorine added occasionally for treatment. Water testing kits will be used to test the quality of water.. Further, households will be trained on water conservation techniques such as rain water harvesting, and set up recharge facilities. The people to be trained shall be selected by community leaders with priority given to women.

Following will be to plant trees around water catchments to help improve water quality and reduce erosion. In the following 6 months construction of the remaining 4 boreholes will be completed. Water management committees will be formed in each community to manage and maintain the water infrastructure. Continue training households on water conservation techniques and planting of water friendly trees around water catchments. In the last month of the Project, monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the Project on target communities shall be carried out. Ongoing support to wáter management committees will continue to be provided to help them effectively manage and maintain the infrastructure. The Safe Water For All Initiative is expected to achieve the following outcomes: increase access to safe drinking water for all members in the community, increase the judicious use of water and promote water conservation, improve water quality, and strengthen community capacity to manage water resources.

Know more...

Bamenda is the third largest city in Cameroon made up of three main villages that merged up to form the city. It is divided into three municipalities namely Bamenda 1, Bamenda 2 and Bamenda 3 municipal councils. With a population of 594,000 inhabitants, majority of whom are subsistence farmers depending solely on agriculture and livestock activities as their main source of livelihood. To a lesser extent a few people are also involved in petit businesses, artisanal fishing, sand digging, hotels and hospitality management.

Bamenda is located in the North West Region, (1,614m above sea level) of the Western Highlands of Cameroon. The city with 2,560mm of annual rainfall, is surrounded by mountains made of grassland and patches of montane forest, waterfalls and rivers. The Cosmopolitan nature of Bamenda takes into consideration the different groups of people with respect to language, culture, ethnic groups (Tikari, Widikum, Fulani and Moghamo respectively.)

The situation of water shortage in the city of Bamenda has been a big problem for years with varying degrees of severity. After much research, it was discovered that water shortage in the city of Bamenda at the peak of the dry season is a serious problem. Inadequate knowledge on modern water conservation techniques is responsible for shortage of water in Bamenda city in the dry season. The Government and the Municipal Councils have prioritized the supply of clean water to the residents however it is an active and collaborative process with other stakeholders.

It was reported that 85% of the 594,000 inhabitants, who are predominantly subsistence in their lifestyle, go for months without clean water, especially in the dry season. As a consequence, a surge in water borne diseases, reduction in food production, exposure of children and women to bullying and rape, and conflicts were reported. In fact, a study found that out of 2,124 people who consulted in the Bamenda 1 municipality alone in 2013, 1200 (56%) were cases of water borne diseases. The situation is worse due to inadequate knowledge on water conservation techniques like rain water harvesting, underground recharge facilities, and sustainable landscape designs. Therefore, the Safe Water For All Initiative is urgently needed to turn the situation for better.

Given that the local council still needs to concretize the supply of water in the city as prioritized in the council plan, the Save Your Future Association (SYFA) has in the past several years taken at heart the issue of water supply in and around the city as its main activity. Nevertheless, the effort put in place by SYFA to solve this problem needs to be complemented by other stakeholders.

  • Digging and construction of boreholes: Manual digging with local tools, molding of concrete rings and inserting using pulley and construction of tower and installed 5000L tank with two stand taps. First there will be 8 constructed, and then 4 more.
  • Planting trees to protect and conserve wáter catchments: Organize a campaign (for schools, churches and the community) for the protection of water catchments by planting of 5.000 grafted fruit trees, water friendly and bee-loving trees around the catchments. This will involve identifying catchments and planting trees in and around them with communities.
  • Training workshops for residents to gain knowledge on water conservation techniques: The trainings will be done for 100 residents selected from various communities around Bamenda. This Will be done in 4 batches of 25 community representatives. Upon attending these workshops they would gain knowledge and skills that will help them to adopt a more judicious usage of wáter and train more people in their communities. Training manuals on water conservation techniques will also be handed to the participants at the end of the workshop for reference.
  • Illustrations for awareness: Illustrations on wáter catchment protection , water conservation techniques & practices inscript on banners, posters,sticker that Will be put in strategic áreas eg.near churches, markets, schools, etc.

Direct results

  • 12 boreholes constructed in the city of Bamenda.
  • 5,000 trees planted in catchments in and around Bamenda city.
  • 100 households trained on water conservation techniques.
  • Water management committee for each locality created, trained and installed to manage the scheme.
  • Sensitization of the communities with 1000 T-shirts, 10,000 posters, 5,000 stickers, 200 backpacks, 100 tracksuits, 4 billboard, 5 banners (all with illustrations and slogans on water conservation).

Expected impact

  • Water quality meets standards put by WHO in 18 months.
  • 30% decrease in congestion and queuing to get safe water in 18 months.
  • 50% increase in the number of residents who practice rain wáter harvesting in 18 months
  • Reduction in waterborne diseases in 18 months.
  • 40% of residents adopt water conservation through practice of sustainable landscapes & construction of underground recharge facilities in 18 months.

  • CAM WATER
  • Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection
  • Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
  • Ministry of Water and Energy
  • Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
  • Schools - St. Felix Catholic School, Baptist High School, Bamanedankwe Primary Schools
  • Norwegian Refugee Council
  • Farmer Tantoh Nforba, Founder/Project Lead Farmer Tantoh Foundation. Ashoka Fellow/Making More Health Fellow (fatantoh@gmail.com).
  • Kalistus Uzeh Intong, Chief Of Technical Service Bamenda 1 Council (kalistusintong2@gmail.com).

Investment

(*): In kind/pro bonus

(**): Financing

Goods and inputs
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Moto (Yamaha AG adaptada para caminos difíciles) (**)

u$s 5714.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 5714.00

5000 Árboles frutales injertados/árboles amigables con el agua. (**)

u$s 17958.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 17958.00

Suministros de oficina (1 portátil, 2 computadoras de escritorio, proyector/accesorios, cámara) (**)

u$s 7344.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 7344.00

Impresión de carteles, pancartas, pegatinas, camisetas, gorras, mochilas con ilustraciones sobre técnicas de conservación del agua. (**)

u$s 24489.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 24489.00

1 Máquina compresora de aire para perforar rocas y suelo duro durante la excavación de pozos. (**)

u$s 16326.00

u$s 16326.00

u$s 0.00

Services
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

4 Talleres de capacitación. (**)

u$s 19591.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 19591.00

Construcción de 12 pozos alimentados por energía solar/electricidad. (**)

u$s 176726.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 176726.00

Human resources
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

8 Recursos humanos (estipendios para dos miembros del equipo para ejecutar el proyecto) (**)

u$s 132244.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 132244.00

Others
Funds
Needed
Covered
Solicited

Costos operativos para combustible y mantenimiento del compresor durante 18 meses. (**)

u$s 7346.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 7346.00

Costos operativos para combustible y mantenimiento de la moto durante 18 meses. (**)

u$s 4408.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 4408.00

Costos logísticos para combustible de dos mini camionetas para el transporte de materiales y suministros al sitio durante 18 meses. (**)

u$s 14693.00

u$s 0.00

u$s 14693.00

TOTAL AMOUNTS:

u$s 426839.00

u$s 16326.00

u$s 410513.00

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