The government of China, through its firm, China National Machinery & Equipment Import & Export Corporation (CMEC), has committed itself to curb shouting water shortage in Yaounde and its environs estimated at over 211,000 cubic metres daily. Statistics from the Ministry of Water and Energy Resources show that the population of Yaounde, as at 2010, stands at 2,130,000 inhabitants and the daily demand of water is 311,000 cubic metres but supply reportedly stands at 100,000 cubic metres.
The commitment, through a project to draw and treat water from the River Sanaga, was concretised yesterday December 14 through a service contract signed between government and the Chinese firm. Cameroon’s Minister of Water and Energy Resources, Michael Ngako Tomdio, signed for Cameroon while CMEC’s Vice President, Jin Chun Hui, signed for his company.
According to the terms of the contract, CMEC will in 28 months construct a water catchment on River Sanaga with a crude water pumping station, a channel to convey crude and treated water, a 300,000 cubic metres daily capacity nominal water treatment point with possibilities of hitting 400,000 cubic metres daily, a 6,000 cubic metre water reservoir on Mount Ndindan in Yaounde, among others.
Speaking during the contract signing ceremony yesterday, Mr Ngako Tomdio disclosed that the project is estimated to gulp about FCFA 429,5 billion. Funding for the project, he stressed, will be negotiated with China Eximbank. The loan from the bank will finance 85 per cent of the project (FCFA 365,075 billion) while funds from the government of Cameroon will take care of the remaining 15 per cent (FCFA 64,425 billion). Besides the city of Yaounde, the project will benefit towns and villages like Batchenga, Obala, Nkometou, Nyoum, et al. “This project will permit us to solve persistent water shortages in Yaounde and its environs beyond 2035”, the Minister said. He added that the project is in line with government’s move to rehabilitate existing structures as well as build new networks to put potable water at the disposal of most, if not all, citizens.
Like the minister, Mr Jin Chun Hui said it will be a pleasure to partner with the government in ensuring sufficient quality water supply to the inhabitants of the capital city. This, he said, will be a giant move in solidifying already existing Sino-Cameroon cordial ties. Yesterday’s ceremony came exactly one year after the two parties signed a contract for the Chinese firm to carry out feasibility studies on the project. After the service contract, stakeholders say only the finances are now needed to effectively take the project off the ground.
