Cameroon: Water Suppyly and Sewerage Sector Study (In Two Volumes)
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Report No. 902-CM 0 Cameroon: Water Suppyly and Sewerage Sector Study (In Two Volumes) Public Disclosure Authorized Volume 1: Text June 30, 1975 WHO/IBRD Cooperative Program Western Africa Regional Office Not for Public Use Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Document of the World Health Organization/World Bank This document has a restricted distribution aricl may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Monetary Unit = CFA Franc (CFAF) 1 CFA Franc = US$0.0044 1 US$ = CFAF 225.00 FIVE-YEAR PLANS Third 1971-1976 Fourth 1976-1981 Fifth 1981-1986 TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I - TEXT SUMMARY AND INITIAL GOVERNMENT REACTIONS -iv I. INTRODUCTION Page 1 The Study Definition of "Urban" and "Rural" Population Background Information II. PRESENT SITUATION Page 5 General Organization Staffing Population Served and Standards of Service Legislation Costs, Tariffs and Finances III. ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Page 10 General Sector Objectives and Proposed Investment Programme Organization Recruitment, Training and Conditions of Employment Tariffs Studies STUDY DATA SHEETS 001 to 007 VOLUME II - ANNEXES ANNEX I - BACKGROUND INFORMATION Geography and Climate Economy Water Resources Public Health Population Forecasts Map I : Rainfall and Relief Map II : Administrative Divisions Map III : Population Density (1971) Table I : Urban, Rural and Total Population Table II : Population of Small Administrative Centres Table III: Regional Distribution of Population and Income Table IV : Rainfall at Selected Stations Table V : Waterborne Diseases ANNEX II - PRESENT SITUATION (Not included but available as a woSrking paper) General Legislation Organization of Urban Water Supply Urban Water Consumption and Population Served Projections of Urban Water Consumption and Population Served Finance and Tariffs Current Development Programme in Urban Water Supply Urban Sewerage and Drainage Rural Water Supply /1 ANNE II (Cont'd) Map I - Urban Water Supply Table I - Summary of the Third Five-Year Plan (1971-1976) Table II - Present Water Service for Towns with a System (30 June 1973) Table III - Projected Urban Water Demand (1976-1996) Table IV - Organization Chart of the Ministry of Mines and Energy Table V - SNEC - Organization Chart Table VI - SNEC - Staffing Situation and Regional Distribution of Manpower Table VII - Cost of Water Operations Table VIII - Water Tariffs and Cost of Water Sold Table IX - SNEC - Income Statements (1971, 1972, 1973) Table X - SNEC - Balance Sheets (1971, 1972, 1973) ANNEX III - URBAN AND RURAL WATER SUPPLY DEVEIPMENT PROGRAMMES Urban Water Supply Rural Water Supply Chart I - Urban Water Supply Development Programme Table I - Urban Characteristics Related to Water Supply Table II - Urban Population Served at the End of Each Five-Year Plan Table III - Investment Needed to Serve 100% of the Urban Population by 1986 Table IV - Summary of Development Programme for Urban Water Supply Table V - Rural Water Supply Development Programme SUMMARY AND INITIAL GOVERNMENT REACTIONS General 0.01 Cameroon has a population of 6.3 million increasing at 2.2% annually. About 35% of the urban population and 22b of the rural population are esti- mated to be adequately served with water. Sewerage systems are practically non-existent. Most towns have embryonic storm drainage systems but usually in the form of unlined ditches with no protection. 0.02 The organization of the water supply sector is highly fragmented. The Ministry of Mines and Energy operates eight systems in the NW and S3W Provinces. The Government has delegated the operation of the 13 principal systems in the rest of the country to the Societe Nationale des Eaux du Cameroun and four small systems are operated by municipalities. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for rural water supply. Issues 0.03 The principal issues are: (a) the definition of sector objectives in terms of the percentage of the population to be served and water quality; (b) the provision of an adequate institutional and legal framework; (c) improvement of recruitment, training and conditions of employment; (d) the revision of tariffs; and (e) the identification and execution of necessary pre-investment, technical, managerial and economic studies. All of these issues should be tackled with the long-term goal of applying unified policies in the sector and overcoming the present organizational fragmentation of the sector. Proposals A. Ob,jectives 0.04 The proposed objective for urban water supply is to serve the whole urban population by 1986 (end of the Fifth Five-Year Plan). The estimated investment requirements are about CFAF 15 billion over the period 1976.-1986 or about CFAF 1.5 billion per year, which is twice the planned level of the current Five-Yeair Plan. A phased programme is proposed which concentrates initially on centres which already have water supply systems and those for which studies are available. 0.05 In rural water supply, it is proposed that the Government at least maintain the present level of investment (about CFAF 0.2 billion per year) in order to supply practically all the rural. population by the end of the century. The Government, however, should consider doubling annual investment by 1980 to advance to 1990 the time by which essentially complete coverage of the rural population could be achieved. The programme could be staged in line with Governlment priorities regarding the small administrative centres, the Northern Plains, the resettlement areas and the Western Highlands. 0.06 In urban sewerage and drainage, the absence of cost data make it difficult to prDpose an investment programme. The general provision of sewerage and drainage seems of low priority although certain needs are - ii - evident in Douala and Yaound6. The programme included in the current Five-Year Plan has not been implemented and the amounts provided (CFAF 1200 million) are almost certainly inadequate for the needs. Existing master plans should be updated with a view to project implementation during the next Five-Year Plan (1976-1981). The major impact on rural sanitation should come through continuecd public henLth education on improved methods of excreta disposal and the development of self-help projects. B. Organization 0.07 The main problems in rural water supply are financial rather than organizational and in the short-term the development of sewerage and storm drainage is of relatively low priority. The basio organizational problems therefore relate to urban water supply and three alternative solutions are proposed for the short and medium term: (a) strengthening the Ministry of Mines and Energy while maintaining its present functions; (b) transfer of responsibilities for water systems in the NW and SW Provinces to SNEC; and (c) creation of a new autonomous water supply authority, owned by the Government. In the longer term, where extension of service to the lower- income population and the formulation of unified sector policies will become increasingly important, solution (c) is to be preferred. If so, there are arguments for establishing a national water supply authority as soon as possible to operate the systems in the NW and SW Provinces. As expertise is gained, the responsibilities of the authority could be expanded to take in additional urban water supply systems, sewerage and, if desirable, rural water supply. C. Recruitment, Training and Conditions of Employment 0.08 To meet the objective of providing water supply to the whole urban population by 1986, it is estimated that 300 people will have to be recruited and trained annually over a 10 year period. While SNEC has some training facilities, the Government should decide on a recruitment programme and the possibility of establishing a permanent training institution. No specific proposals are made with regard to conditions of employment because it is recognized that this is a matter of general Government policy with implications beyond the water supply sector. However, differences between conditions of employment within the sector should be recognized as a fundamental problem especially if the Government adopts the long-term objective of sector unification. D. Tariffs 0.09 Before tackling the tariff issue, the Government should decide on its social objectives and the proportion of costs to be recovered by water charges. In the NW and SW Provinces, the average tariff level is too low and only a small percentage of billings is collected. It is proposed that collection procedures should be drastically improved and the tariff level *aised. The tariff structure in the NW and SW Provinces should be simplified but it does at least take some account of the limited ability of the lower-income population to pay. Changes in tariff structure are proposed for the water systems operated under concession agreements in Cameroon's other provinces so as to facilitate the extension of water supply to the lower-income groups. Inter- regional differences in tariff levels and structures exist at present due to Government policies and variations in costs. In the long-term, there is no reason why different principles should be applied to tariff structure in different regions. Three alternative approaches are proposed towards tariff levels: (a) different levels in different systems based on differences in cost; (b) a uniform level nationally based on the average cost of all systems; and (c) an intermediate solution to permit some income redistribution from richer to poorer areas or as part of regional development policy. E. Studies 0.10 Seven studies are proposed to tackle the issues identified and to evaluat.e and implement the proposals made. They are contained in Study Data Sheets 001 to 007. Government Reactions 0.11 On the basis of a summary of a draft version of the Report, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture have unofficially accepted most of the proposals summarized above or else included them as issues to be studied further.