05/10/2025
Got cought up today by rain at the very centre of the city(Yaoundé-Cameroon) and had to witness first hand the severity of the poor drainage system which has become a pressing urban challenge with far-reaching consequences. It is now a norm that every rainy season, the capital city of Cameroon experiences severe flooding, turning roads into rivers, homes into ponds, and daily life into a struggle. What is particularly worrying is that this situation has been ongoing for years, and yet, little has changed to improve the resilience of the city's drainage infrastructure.
Rapid and unplanned urbanization as the city keeps expanding significantly in recent decades, often without proper planning or regulation is a leading cause. Many neighborhoods, especially on the outskirts have developed haphazardly, with homes built in flood-prone valleys and on steep hillsides. The construction of homes and roads without regard for natural waterways is leadings to the obstruction of runoff paths, causing water to accumulate during heavy rains. Poor waste management and citizen behavior are the other of the day across the city. it is very common to see drainage gutters clogged with plastic bags, food waste, bottles, and construction debris. In markets gutters are frequently filled with garbage, rendering them useless during rainfall. I remember at some point the garbage piled up to a point roads were impassable. Insufficient municipal waste collection services and the absence of strict enforcement of environmental laws has aggravated the situation. The city's drainage infrastructure is also outdated and inadequate. Many of the existing drainage networks were built decades ago when Yaoundé had a much smaller population and less urban coverage. Today, these systems are overwhelmed by the volume of runoff, especially during intense storms that are becoming more frequent due to change. Worse, I even noticed in some neighborhoods, there are no drainage systems at all, or they consist of open, narrow gutters that easily overflow. The lack of regular maintenance and desilting worsens the situation, turning what should be functional infrastructure into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease. Transportation is regularly frozen,Businesses suffer.
A city-wide drainage master plan that integrates climate resilience and future urban growth, focus on large-scale drainage channels, public awareness campaigns on the impact of dumping waste into gutters, community clean-up initiatives,Local councils enforcement of waste management legislation,PPP, accountability and transparency are imperative in making Yaoundé a sustainable city for its dwellers .
A city that cannot manage its water cannot manage its future.
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