Lack of potable water

Over 50 percent of rural dwellers do not have potable water, leaving users little choice but to draw supplies from potentially disease prone sources, Water Resource Minister Yves Mbelle Ndoe said. In cities that figure is 40 percent, the government-owned ‘Cameroon Tribune’ quoted Ndoe as saying on Friday. He made his comments at the launch of the national week-long “water and health” campaign that culminated on Thursday with the ninth International Water Day. Ndoe said that the government will supply water to a greater portion of the population, thereby reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and malaria. So far, the government has sunk boreholes and wells equipped with man-operated pumps. It has also built dams, water treatment facilities and other water points, he said. In addition, the daily reported, the government is considering transferring the daily management of water to local governments rather than leave this task to the state-owned National Water Corporation whose fees are “too expensive”.