Received this December 13th, 2021, the modernized drinking water supply systems (AEP) were immediately reactivated by Cameroon Water Utilities (Camwater), the company that provides the public water service in Cameroon. The facilities in the cities of Bertoua and Edea were rehabilitated by the Spanish company Btd. The work required an investment of 27.3 billion CFA francs, about 41.62 million euros.
In the town of Edea, located in the Littoral region, Btd has laid 94 km of new pipes to supply water to the population. This work, combined with the renovation of related facilities, has increased the city’s production capacity to 56%, says Camwater.
Drinking water supply for 235,000 people
Located in the eastern region, the city of Bertoua has also benefited from new pipes; with a total length of 137 km. Btd also rehabilitated various water facilities, bringing their level of operation to 88%.
The re-commissioning of these water systems will provide access to drinking water for 235,000 people in the cities of Bertoua (125,000 people) and Edea (110,000 people). According to Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), in 2018, the rate of access to drinking water in Cameroon was 77% in urban areas and 54% in rural areas.
Read Also DRINKING WATER: Major African programmes that are making a difference locally
The work in Bertoua and Edea is part of the Yaoundé Drinking Water Supply Improvement Project and three secondary cities (Bertoua, Edea and Ngaoundéré). The French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are co-financing the project with loans of 103 billion CFA francs, more than 157 million euros.
Inès Magoum