Expert-technical supervision and construction check-up within the framework of road construction and maintenance largely remains questionable.

Douala of recent is experiencing an unprecedented number of degrading roads even shortly after their construction was completed. A bird’s eye view of the situation reveals that most of the roads soon become bumpy with potholes betraying the quality of work.

These problems have handicapped the function of roads linking Douala inward and outward and have made those areas the most congested ones in the economic capital. In the worst case, deteriorated roads have caused injurious and fatal accidents. The question now on many lips is whether the Douala Urban Council, under whose supervision is the roads, actually follow up their construction and control quality.

Beside the harsh weather and rain water overflowing road surfaces, a majority is imputed to public action, according to Samuel Maka Toko, Civil Engineer. “Habits like pouring water onto tarred surfaces, burning tyres, and setting up fired charcoal pots on tarred surfaces, emptying wastes into gutters and, worst still, vehicles are made to climb onto pedestrian paths breaking the separating embankments are common. These are the most disastrous to our roads. Good project management ensures that the job is done right the first time, and users constantly educated to protect national patrimony,” he lamented. Roads like the Bonaberi road have broken up, fissured, born potholes and turned bumpy in less than 10 months of its completion betraying DUC refutations of control lapses.

From a standpoint, most difficulties faced with follow-up and quality controls of road infrastructures are corruption, unclear administrative arrangements within the Council, lack of constant training and follow-up of advanced technological achievements by experienced staff. Consequently, defects or failures in constructed facilities have resulted to very large costs, delays and sluggish economic development. “When a contract is poorly executed, the DUC holds back the caution, which is usually 10 per cent of the total cost of the contract. This amount can only be given if the road, which usually 15 years of duration, remains in good state one year after construction.” In this explanation, Samuel Maka confirmed that badly executed projects are also a great problem in Douala. DUC said it is not directly involved in quality check-ups, but it hires enterprises providing supervision of construction, maintenance and quality control services. DUC, however, should bear in mind that, as it is with cost control, the most important decisions regarding the quality of a completed facility are made during the design and planning stages rather than during construction.