Comatose water, electricity supply in B’da

By Louise Kuma in Bamenda
If water as they say is life, then Bamenda can be said to be a lifeless town. The inhabitants of Bamenda have for the past two months been coping with acute potable water scarcity.
    Most taps are dry for days and weeks running forcing people to trek very long distances in search of the precious liquid whose scarcity has been blamed on several factors.
    While environmentalists blame the scarcity on effects of climate change, some development experts attribute it to the abusive cultivation of eucalyptus trees in and around water catchment areas. Yet traditionalists on their part are convinced that the gods are angry.
    Whatever the cause of the chronic shortage of water, what is very preoccupying is the untold suffering invited on households and even school goers.
    According to Ambo Marcel a civil servant in one of the regional delegations in Bamenda, the situation is a real cause for concern.
    “I wake up every day by 2: 00am, to check if my tap is running and most of the time I check for two days continuously with no success. This situation changes my schedule daily because something I would have done earlier, I now have to add fetching of water to my itinirary” he revealed to this reporter.
    This was corroborated by Frinwi Telma a student in GBHS Bamenda. “I travel long distances and sometimes go into bushes to get water. As a result of this, I constantly go late to school and when I get to school, I am already exhausted.”
    She also observed that many people have taken advantage of the scarcity to dig bore holes and are doing brisk business from the sale of water. 
    With the situation degenerating by the day, many people are calling on the officials of the Cameroon water distribution company Camerounaise des Eaux, and the Army Rescue Unit to provide emergency assistance to the thirsty population by using their trucks to supply water to hard hit quarters, like was the case last year.


Students protest against incessant power cuts
    Populations in Bamenda and its environs have protested against the incessant power outages that have hit the city for some time now.
    Students in Bambui and Bambili took to the streets in the evening of Monday 25 January to protest against what they described as “irresponsible treatment” by the electricity supplier ENEO.
    The students blocked the main road with stones and sticks, disturbing traffic for several hours.
    They said the power cuts pose a serious hindrance to their studies, especially for those preparing for public exams.
    “It has become unbearable! Every day there’s power failure and yet we are writing semester exams. What will I write if I don’t read my notes? ENEO is taking us for granted and we cannot tolerate this any longer,” bemoaned a student in NPB who opted not to be named.
    Another of the protesting students who said he has been studying in Bambili for about three years said: “to get constant electricity supply for 24hrs is a luxury.”
    Riot police later dispersed the students, but this was not before ENEO had restored the power supply.