Logiques d’acteurs dans la gestion des eaux usées et assainissement dans la commune d’arrondissement de Bafoussam 1er (Ouest-Cameroun)

Abstract

The management of waste water has become an important and even paramount concern in daily life all over the world. Hygiene and sanitation conditions are gradually deteriorating in Cameroonian cities. Population explosion and the uncontrolled urbanization are weakening the existing waste management systems. The goal of this study is to show how waste water management by different stakeholders can contribute to the sanitation of Bafoussam I. To achieve this goal, the hypothetico-deductive method is used to compare the initial hypotheses with the reality on the ground, based on various sources and especially a survey of 106 households. The information on diseases related to living in unsanitary conditions and on drinking poor quality water collected in households was complemented by information collected in health centres and physical-chemical and bacteriological analyses of 6 samples of waste water taken. These findings indicate that the attempts initiated by households very often bring only temporary solutions and reveal rudimentary facilities whose state of operation constitutes in itself a source of pollution. The malfunction of sanitation facilities leads to the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air quality. Repeated illness (malaria, typhoid fever, diarrhoea, etc.) that are highly prevalent in health facilities are linked to defective hygiene and insalubrity. The successful mastery of waste water management techniques and sanitation would be effective with the participation of all stakeholders.