Water Scarcity in Buea Blamed On Deforestation

By Yuni Shantal and Mesumbe Neville in Buea

Populations battling to access water source in Buea

As the world celebrates the 25th edition of world water day under the theme “Nature for Water”, attentions has been focused on the importance of water and how we can use nature to overcome water challenges in the 21st century.

             Though clean water is a necessity, its availability is limited to few individuals in urban Centres like Buea.  In an exclusive interview with the Head of Department for Agriculture of the University of Buea, Dr. Stephanie Mvodo, she declared that deforestation is the main cause of water scarcity in Buea as it allows indiscriminate evaporation of water into the atmosphere.

            “Farmers always fell down trees for cultivation and burn bushes to harvest honey. These activities kill grasses and expose the soil to the scorching heat of the sun. The impact of this is very devastating on the water table as it triggers massive evaporation," she says.

            Dr Mvodo further surmised that water planning in Buea was poorly done from the onset.

            “The stakeholders did not foresee that water pipes would be quite small. As today’s population increases, the pipes cannot contain enough water that meets the needs of inhabitants in the locality. This is the major reason for the scanty nature of the water flow.” 

            Some agricultural practices do not only trigger water scarcity but also pollute the available ones. According to the agric don, the wrong use of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides contribute to pollute water sources.

            "Although these chemicals increase plant yield, it is not convenient to use them around water sources. They end up polluting the water source especially during the rainy season, rendering it unfit for consumption even cooking."

            As a way out, Dr. Mvodo said a lot has to be done by the government in the area of planning.

            "All the actors involved in this domain should try to put up structures that would conveniently meet the needs of the ever-growing population.  If water pipes are to be put in place, the sizes should be big enough to supply larger amounts of water to the masses. Community water projects should be encouraged and more taps should be multiplied in different quarters. This will go a long way to remedy the situation."

            Statistics from the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children’s emergency fund reveals that1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. The revealation further stated that unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene cause around 842,000 deaths each year

            It is this light that the United Nation under Sustainable Development Goal six has been fighting to ensure that everyone has access to safe water by 2030.