URBAN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES: THE CASE OF YAOUNDÈ
Ayonghe N. Samuel, Fantong Y. Wilson and Fouépé T. Alain
Yaoundé is located 250 km from the Atlantic coast and lies at the edge of the Congo Forest. Covering an area of about 300 km2
(Nguegang 2008) Yaoundé has been the political capital of Cameroon since 1921 and also serves as the headquarters of the Centre Region.
Yaoundé and its surrounding area comprise mainly of secondary forest although much has been deforested for crop
Lake Chad
farming. In the swampy depressions semi-aquatic plants such as raphia and palm trees are found (Boeglin and others 2003).
CHAD Maroua NIGERIA Garoua
The relief in Yaoundé is undulating with seven outstanding hills that rise to a maximum of 1 060 m above sea level. The city’s average altitude is 700–800 m above sea level and the climate is characterised by annual precipitation of 1 600 mm, average temperature of 24°C and evaporation of 800 mm per year (Sighomnou 2004). Yaoundé experiences four climatic regimes – a long dry season (from mid-November to mid-March), a short rainy season (from mid-March to mid-June), a short dry season (from mid-June to mid-September), and a long raining season (from mid-September to mid-November).
Ngaoundéré Bamenda Bafoussam Bertoua Buea Douala Yaoundé Ebolowa
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
GABON
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The geology of the city is made up of crystalline rocks composed of granite, gneiss and schist rocks, which are highly weathered, producing predominantly ferric and lateritic soils. These chemically weathered soils serve as aquifers for shallow groundwater, while fractured rocks and more extensive faulted areas are locations for deep groundwater. Spring lines are located at the base of slopes and in wetlands, serving as sources of water for domestic use and subsistence agriculture during the dry periods (Fouépé and others 2010).
The city and its environs are drained by a dense river network, which can broadly be divided into two major drainage basins, namely the Sanaga River to the north-west and Nyong River to the south-east. Pipe-borne water in the city is supplied from the Nyong River from which it is withdrawn at Mbalmayo, 45 km south-east of Yaoundé, and conveyed by a 1 400 mm diameter pipe to the city.
39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72