CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background to the Study

Water resources in the world are essential resources to all forms of life, food production, economic development, and for the general well-being of people. It is impossible to substitute water for most of its uses, difficult to de-pollute, expensive to transport, and it is truly a unique gift to mankind from nature. Water is also one of the most manageable of the natural resources as it is capable of diversion, transport, storage, and recycling. Water resource exploitation has been on the international spotlight for the past three decades (Kimengsi et al, 2020).

The demand for water resources like sand is growing around the world, particularly in the developing countries such as India, China, and Kenya, where rapid economic development causes strong growth of the construction industry. The global sand harvesting concerns about environmental impacts is increasing, according to reports from other countries such as China, Ghana, and India. Consequently, it has been argued that because of this globalizing extent and the magnitude of its impacts, sand harvesting should be considered as an aspect of global environmental change. Most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to develop and benefit from the use of natural resources such as sand and gravel for economic development (Gur et al, 2020).

In the world today, water is conceptualized on one hand by its physical flow and on the other hand by rules, social practices and political and socio-economic aspects. According to Bakker (2003) water is “a symbol of identity, power and citizenship” Drinking water is a symbol of power demarcation Graefe (2006). Therefore, the management of drinking water is not just influenced by natural or scientific-technical factors; it is also highly influenced by society as well as social relations of power and culture.

Uneven access to drinking water remain a major problem in the world today since post SDG 6, most especially in the Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) like Cameroon particularly the case of Bamenda I municipality. Globally it is clear that the allocation of fresh water in most areas is less a problem of physical water scarcity than more a problem of economical water scarcity. Mismanagement and poor governance are the main reasons for the world’s water crisis (Rogers et al, 2003).

The idea of sustainable development was conceived in the united Nation’s (UN) first conference on Human Development, held in 1972 at Stockholm, it came to prominence through the Brundtland commission’s our common future in 1987.Thereafter, the UN has made a consciousness in the world on ecology, environment and poverty. These themes have been brought to the centre stage in the new development policies. In a broader sense, it defines sustainable development refers to development which meets the need of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a frame work to guide the way that countries should collectively manage and transform the social, economic and environmental dimensions of our society and planet over the next 15 years with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Some of the SDGs are focus on good health and wellbeing and clean water and sanitation, goal 3, focused on good health. This was through immunisation which is eaquals healthy lives and well-being. This is one of the most cost effective ways to save lives and promote good health and wellbeing. Goal 6; clean water and sanitation is one the goals. Vaccines along clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), are proven interventions to prevent diarrhoeal diseases, a leading cause of child mortality in developing countries.

Most of the people unserved in Sub-Saharan Africa are concentrated in rural areas and urban unplanned settlements (UNICEF and WHO, 2012). Even in areas considered served with improved sources of water, the quality is not assured and hence the proportion of the population with access to improved sources does not translate into access to safe water supply. In Sub-Saharan Africa, even in towns with pipe borne water supply, the physical quality of the supplied water is sometimes found wanting and needs treatment to be rendered aesthetically pleasing. As such, there is potentially a much greater number of persons without access to microbiologically safe drinking water in Africa south of the Sahara.

In 2007 it was estimated that only about 44 % of Cameroonians had access to adequate drinking water (NIS, 2008). In urban areas, the situation is much better with a percentage access of about 75 %. The situation in rural areas is worse with a percentage access of 28 %. The percentage of the population with access to adequate sanitation is about 37 %; with 66.4 % access in urban areas and only 14.4 % access in rural areas. (NIS, 2008).

Cameroon is the second country in Africa (after the Democratic Republic of Congo) in terms of quantity of “available” water resources, estimated to be three times the world’s average (7,000 m3), but the access to water still remains a scarce resource because of inadequate management practice (Mafany et al, 2006). Inadequate access to safe water and decent sanitation has a considerable negative impact on human development. The impacts are felt on the economies, health, education and social well-being of the population.  Despite this well documented fact, a significant proportion of the world’s population still lacks access to improved water supply. According to United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), target for drinking water was attained in the world in 2010 with an estimated 89 % of the global population using improved drinking water sources. However, 780 million people remain unserved with four out of 10 people without access living in sub-Saharan Africa (about 312 million people).  Sub-Saharan is the region in the world with the lowest coverage of water and sanitation (61 %). The region accounted for six of the top ten countries in the world with the largest population without access to an improved drinking water source in 2010.Sub-Saharan Africa is therefore not on track to meet the MDG target on drinking water.  (Elambo, et al 2006)

Cameroon is blessed with abundant water resources but rapid population increase, unplanned urbanization, growing industrial and socio-economic development has led to the poor and unsustainable management of these resources. One of these resource sites is the River Meme which is replete with sand, fisheries and other resources. So far, knowledge gaps exist with regards to the exploitation practices, their implications and challenges in the context of the River Meme. There is therefore a need to examine how these resources are exploited, the impacts of the exploitation of these resources on the socio-economic lives of the exploiters, the challenges faced and the management options put forward. (Kimengsi et al, 2020)

Mismanagement and poor governance lays at the heart of Bamenda I municipality water resource exploitation. The governance of available water resources becomes a key issue to achieve water security at the municipal level.