The homes include those in marshlands, on gutters or on passageways within neighbourhoods and others that for some reasons defied City Council demolition warnings.

Douala will in the few weeks witnessed a massive demolition of houses. The resolve follows a series of material casualties including the death of a two-year-old baby in New Bell caused by heavy floods after the June 23 stormy downpours. Such a flood event is not new in the city considering that in June 21, 2015 a similar disaster rocked Douala causing some enormous damages.

In view of curbing the effects of flooding with much heavy downpours expected in the city between June and August, the Senior Divisional Officer of Wouri, Naseri Paul Bea, has ordered an inventory of all structures constructed on gutters, passageways and in flood prone areas in view of demolition. He gave the instructions during a crisis resolution meeting attended by the Government Delegate to the Douala City Council, mayors of the five council areas, among other personalitiesat the conference hall of his services Thursday, June 24.

The SDO questioned the effectiveness of the Committee that was set up about this time last year to mark out houses constructed in violation of the drainage system and other norms. It became clear during the meeting that the Committee actually did its work and made recommendations for crackdown but it was never implemented. Mayor Denise Fampou of Douala II, for example, brought to light an age-old obstacle that has been permanently the major cause of floods in the city.

She reported that inside quarters certain traditional rulers and quarter heads sell out marshlands, passageways between houses, and even gutters to people to build on them, reason for the sudden and destructive flood event at drop of every serious downpour. As auxiliaries of the administration playing the double standards, it is difficult for councils to solve the problem without the intervention of the administration.

In reaction, the SDO ordered another inventory of all houses and storeys constructed under such conditions and asked the City Council authorities to ensure effective crackdown in the weeks ahead. Some city dwellers, however, think that the crux of the matter which is the fact some top brass who own such houses have been the bane of fear to any adventurous crackdown. For example, Ngangue at the level of Chefferie de Bonapriso, which is a deadly flood prone area, has been caused by homes constructed on guttersowned by some top brass.