Careh in Bandjoun Chiefdom, Cameroon
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THE INPUT OF CARTOGRAPHY IN THE REALISATION OF COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT: CAREH IN BANDJOUN CHIEFDOM, CAMEROON 1Tchindjang, M., 2Nziengui, M., 4Geoffrey, F.K., 4Fogwe, Z.N., 5 Fodouop, K. and 6Lambi, C.M. 1University of Yaounde I, Department of Geography P.O. Box 30464, Yaounde Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected] 2ENEF ADIE. PO Box 3960 Libreville Gabon. E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected] 3University of Yaounde I. PO Box 755 Yaounde Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected] 4University of Douala, Department of Geography, PO Box 3132 Douala Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected] 5University of Yaounde I PO Box 8297 Yaounde Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected] 6University of Buea Faculty of social and Management sciences PO Box 63 Buea Cameroon. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT “If there were no map, the world should have been a house with neither a window, nor a light”. This exclamation made by a sailor in 1906, says all with regards to the importance of cartography in our world today. In effect, ever since the invention of the map in the second century BC by forerunners like Pythagoras and Erastotheme, cartographic tools and techniques have continued to evolve exponentially and in a multidimensional manner such that it is difficult to conceive a sustainable human development project without using a map. It is in this light that the conceptors of the project on Health and Adolescent Mutations of Bandjoun (264 km2) have sought to use the works of seasoned cartographers to put in place the required socio-sanitary structures. After a preliminary field survey, the cartographers did a careful and detailed zoning of this chiefdom into quarters. They obtained 51 big quarters (with 49 sub quarters) grouped into 12 socio- sanitary regions, each having large areas and high population densities. This sectioning permitted, amongst others a census of household of the various quarters and forecast the evolution of the population. It emerge from the superposition of the maps of the population density in Bandjoun, to that of the distribution of socio- sanitary infrastructure, that the implantation (positioning) of the latter is closely related to the demographic weight of the different quarters of Bandjoun. The unequal distribution of hospitals and the intergraded major health centres, equally reveal the same disparities of demographic density and to factors of natural milieu. The east of the chiefdom that is bounded by a fault line escarpment has remained empty. The map of population density shows very clearly how the population is grouped along the major roads. This cartographic approach has therefore contributed to creation of the CAREH project of Bandjoun. Keywords: Bandjoun, CAREH Project, cartographic approach, community health, socio-sanitary structures. 1. INTRODUCTION Contemporary and complex world and regional issues are now more than ever before confronted with the need for a multidisciplinarity in the quest for solutions and even in the process of investigation. Current world issues find their complexity amplified by the ever-challenging spatial dimension. Such issues, à priori, require accurate and in-depth analyses with the application of cartographic techniques being the best geographical tools for the study of spatial phenomenon. In 1995, the University of Montreal, Canada and the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon in the scope of the project Health and Nutrition of Adolescents contacted us. The work that was requested consisted of producing and updating the cartography of Bandjoun Subdivision that could permit a population census by the agents of the project. The Bandjoun chiefdom is one of the biggest in the Bamileke region. It covers 264 km2 and with an average altitude of 1300m. The study region extends from 5°15’55’’ to 5°27’15’’N and 10°22’05’’ to 10°35’25’’E. This region that culminates at 1565m altitudes above sea level is a laterised basaltic plateau that is bordered in the east by a fault that is having a height of 200 to 300m (1). This steep escarpment overlooks the granitic peneplain of the river Noun at 1021m. Proceedings of the 21st International Cartographic Conference (ICC) Durban, South Africa, 10 – 16 August 2003 ‘Cartographic Renaissance’ Hosted by The International Cartographic Association (ICA) ISBN: 0-958-46093-0 Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies This work aims to show how cartography has permitted the creation of the CAREH Project and how it can also help in the achievement of other projects in the region. It would also permit us to use this work as a model for other densely populated areas (of the Bamileke region in particular, and Cameroon in general) 2. METHODOLOGY The material that we used in order to carry out field survey was the topographic map of Bafoussam at 1/200000 scale, then others at Bafoussam 1d and Bafoussam 2c at 1/50000 and air photographs (1/20000). Using two compasses and two altimeters, we did a thorough field observation on foot for two weeks. With regards to the method, our inquiry of 15 days on the field was based on the type of housing, the size of the household and the identification of the exact boundaries of the household not forgetting the breakdown of the study region into quarters on the field. We equally censused the socio-sanitary structures that exist such as hospitals, schools, dispensaries, cultural houses, etc. We used the population census of 1987 that we corrected (the coefficient of correction of 1987 was: urban = 1.088612 and rural = 1.093290). We equally made a projection of the population using the t formula Pt = Po (1+r/100) wherein Pt = present population, Po = previous population, r = growth rate, t = period of estimation. There are two methods of estimating population, a linear method and a geographic method (see below equation 2 and 3). We choose the geographic estimation method that is often using in Developing Countries because it is more expressive. Laboratory work consisted of mounting the topographic map on the bases of the information collected on the field as well as the population densities that were obtained. In the first step, we did a manual cartography of Bandjoun in 2000, then we digitised the map, which we carried into MAPINFO. With the help of the population projection methods, we got the map of density of Bandjoun for 2000. In order to get the density we used the subdivisions and then the graph 1 paper using the formula s = (n + n )mm² (1). 2 3. OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS At the end of the fieldwork, we succeeded to break-up the Bandjoun chiefdom into 51 quarters and 49 smaller quarters or sub quarters (Figure 1). Figure 1. Partition of Bandjoun Chiefdom into quarters The map of the population density of Bandjoun makes the following observations: • A differentiation of the population density as a function of the natural milieu. In effect, the east of Bandjoun especially after the great escarpment of the eastern part of the Bamileke region whose path corresponds with the channel of the river Noun is empty. This escarpment divides the whole Bandjoun into two unequal parts: one block in the west with densities between 35 and 1500inh/km2 and a block in the east that is empty having densities that are lower than 35inh/km². In all on the total 264 km² that the Bandjoun chiefdom has, 57.50% are settled upon being 151.800km² and 42.50% is left as arable land and forests. The population densities in the seven quarters that are touched by the escarpment are very low. Field observations revealed that the settled area is found either before or on the escarpment. Table 1 gives an overview of the overall population density and that of the settled area. We notice that the settled area in the quarters that are crossed by the escarpment varies from 6 to 30%, consequently, 70 to 94% of the area remains uninhabited Table 1. Population density of the seven quarters crossed by the escarpment Quarter Total population Population density Settled area in Percentage of the 1987 of the settled area km². total area BANGANG FONDJI 21.28 84.76 5.87 25.08 DJIONE 37.5 180 2.5 20.83 FOMAYOUM 11.03 91.8 3.36 12.00 LEMGO 49.53 161 4.0 30.76 SE NDEMBOM 82.08 275 2.0 29.85 TESSE 42.57 202.17 7.36 21.02 TOMHE II 14.88 221.33 1.50 06.72 • On the bases of the 1987 census, and after the breakdown of the quarters and the calculation of their area we observed 13 possible classes of density in 1997. (Table 2). Table 2. The distribution of population in the Bandjoun Chiefdom Density Density Quarter or small quarter class (inh/km².) 1 >1500 Pète 2 1250-1500 Ha, Mouwè, Tsecha 3 1000-1250 Soung-Djesse, Domlo, Mvou. 4 800-1000 Tseghem, Kouotse, Tseleng, Bapou, Hok. 5 600-800 Houa, DjelengIII, Djeleng I, Topo, Dja, Veulè 6 500-600 MbiengI, MbiengII, Kayo, Toba, Ndem Mbeng Djesse, Djioguè, Djopa, Kouo-Mbieng. 7 400-500 Kamngo, YomII-Nguikè, Kafam, Djozo, Tokouo, Katsela. 8 300-400 Fonegom, Maguè, FamlaI, Mbemtum, Tosse, Famleng, Kang, Totsela, Ndenbou, Kakouo, MbouoI, YomV. 9 200-300 Tsehgo, Tomlem, YomIV, Magom, Msabue, Demtse, Kamdjoung, Ntienki, Lemla, Sekakouo, Famnwe, Dem Woh, Ndembom, Ndemdeng, Djangue. 10 100-200 Tseso, Mbing, Njiko,, Djiongwo, Famtoum, DjengueII, Ntem, TomhèI. 11 50-100 Djeleng II, Yom III, Sè Ndembom, Moutcha, MbouoII. 12 30-50 Djione, Lemgo, Tessè. 13 <30 TomhèII, Fomayoum, Bangang-Fondji. This disparity in the density as compared to the density of the rest of Cameroon and the rest of the High Lava Plateau of West Cameroon shows that the provincial average of 148.9735 hts/km² is largely overturned in the small divisional towns that are in full expansion This is the case of the town of Pete which is the centre and the headquarters of Bandjoun which has become the Divisional capital ever since the Administrative Reorganisation of 1993 and which today has a population of more than 2000 hts/km² (Table 3 and Figures 2 and 3).