The Douala drinking water mega-project is set to kick off in 2024 according to Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.
The Minister of Water and Energy (Minne), Gaston Eloundou Essomba, on the other hand, said that the project aims to enhance the supply of drinking water to the city of Douala and its surroundings. This will be achieved by producing an additional 400,000 m3 of potable water per day and increasing the city’s production capacity to 703,400 m3 per day as a result.
As part of the project, the distribution network and the storage capacity of Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation (Camwater), will also be expanded. Camwater is a public capital company, responsible for the management of resources affected by the public service of drinking water in urban and suburban areas.
Progress of the Douala drinking water mega-project so far
In Jul 2023, a partnership agreement was signed for the Douala drinking water mega-project. The agreement was signed between Camwater, BESIX Group and Ersa İnşaat Proje Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.(ERSA) Construction.
BESIX is a Belgian-French construction group based in Brussels and one of the world’s leading international contractors. ERSA is the core company of the Saraylı Group that consists of nearly 10 subsidiaries and partnerships.
Reportedly, the two partners of Camwater will contribute CFA125 billion towards the implementation of the Douala drinking water mega-project.
According to Cameroon’s minister of water, “As of Nov 2023, the preliminary pre-project studies had been approved and the detailed pre-project studies are currently underway. In 2024, we aim to complete the maturation process for the start of the mega-project works.”
Also Read: Cameroon begins the construction of drinking water project in Garoua-Boulaï
The completion of the Douala drinking water mega-project
Following the start of its implementation, the project is expected to be completed within 36 months.
Once operational, it is, however, not expected to fully resolve the drinking water deficit in Douala and its surroundings. According to Camwater, these regions have a total deficit of 500,000 m3 per day.
