Abstract

Population distribution pose a significant threat to the water resources. Urban activities in particular are highlighted as one of the major causes of contamination in surface water bodies in several countries. Evaluation of sustainable human population capacities in water resources is necessary to maintain better freshwater ecosystem in a country while achieving its development goals as a nation. An evaluation of correlation between the population distribution in a watershed area and water quality parameters of a water resource ecosystem.

From the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, preliminary analyse were performed to ensure no violation of the assumptions of normality, linearity and a positive homoscedasticity. There was a positive correlation between the two variable; population increase and water scarcity (r=965, N =60 P<1), according to the results an increase in population by say 100%, will lead to water scarcity of 9% in the same direction.

This relationship was however statistically significant even at 1% level (as 0.000 is less than 1%, 5%, 10%) hence, the null hypothesis was rejected which shows that increasing population is responsible for water scarcity. It was concluded that water is humanity’s life supporting resource and also water scarcity gradually looks like a problem that has come to stay in Buea Municipality in general and Molyko neigbourhoods in particular.

People are therefore forced to practice adaptive measures in the course of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, it was recommended that effort to ensure a regular flow of water in the Molyko neighbourhood were proposed to ensure the better management of water resources.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

One of the most valuable natural resources on the globe is water. Water is used for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes. Access to freshwater resources is therefore essential to sustain life and critical for human health and well-being (Moyo, 2011) and critical for human health and well-being.Water is not a viable good per say but rather an inheritance which must be safe guarded and protected as such (European Commission, 2002). However, due to increase demand and use of water, the availability, reliability and quality of water are crucial. There is a direct association between water, water delivery and water management (Fonjong and Fonkem, 2017). The water crisis in the 21st century is multi-dimensional, dynamic and above all classified among the host of problems to be faced by many societies and the world. While some authors relate this crisis to poor management (Rogers et al,. (2006) and Tuner et al,. 2011), other relates it to a set of environmental problems aggravated by economic and social development quandaries (Gleik, 2000).

If measures are not taken by planners and policy makers, the world is about to undergo another potential apocalypse. About 65 million years ago, scientist believed that life on earth was destroyed by an asteroid that struck the planet. Today the issues of water shortage that is experienced by majority of the world is so severe that it could potentially be the next asteroid to wipe out mankind provided that close to 1.1 billion people in the world today do not have adequate access to sanitary water (Srinivasan et al,. 2010) and this has significant impact on the physical health of people, sanitation functionality of businesses, growing of crops, just to mention a few. The physical health on people, sanitation, functionality of businesses, growing of crops, just to mention a few. Yet, Tuner et al,. (2011) observed that the deepening intricacies of urban water supply are due to cities and difficulties of availability, reliability, distribution of water supply and increased demand and to a sectorial management process that responds to problems without a logical methodology that tries to predict them.

Whatever the faculty of  thought, it is imperative to note that, urban water supply has become a serious urban development quandary in many developing countries unlike the case in most developed countries where there are adequate managerial skills and government policies to salvage the situation. Although, there is no global water paucity as such, an increasing number of developing regions including Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), middle East and North Africa (MINA) and South East Asia are chronically short of water supply (FAO, 2007). Population growth rate and urbanization in most urban centers in Africa for example are leaving infrastructure service provision such as pipe borne water supply, electricity and so on severely stretched (Pastore, 2015). As a consequence, urban water supply production, distribution and coverage have actually declined in the continent. Moreover, Africa’s water shortage are related to under-development of hypothetically available resources, their uneven distribution and mismanagement in time and space. This is coupled with an unrelenting population growth rate of 4% per year which is a major factor in ongoing pipe borne water challenges in many urban centers. In such cases therefore, the resultant gab created by inadequate pipe borne water supply is filled by lower rate alternative such as bore holes and wells both of which are expanding at a much faster rate than improved alternatives such as piped water and stand post.

In Nigeria, Ikelegbe and Okaruwa (2007) observed that there exist an uneven distribution of pipe borne water supply among Commercial Government establishment in high and low income residential areas. Also, densely populated lower income ones are served with few and widely spaced stand pipe borne water which flow intermittently. The author therefore cited the fact that, poor distribution, lack of planning management of resources accounted for these phenomenon leaving the resources accounted for these phenomenon leaving the population with no choice but to rely on alternative water sources of poor quality wells and boreholes.

In Cameroon water scarcity is common virtually all urban and rural areas. In urban areas however, major constraints to pipe borne water supply include; power failure, inadequate water supply infrastructure and sources; uneven distribution, poor planning and management (Andrew et al,. 2010).

The water utility company (CAMWATER) is unreliable, intermittent and in most cases in accessible to majority of the neighborhoods in major towns of the country, thus given rise to a high dependency of unsafe supplementary sources pipe borne water supply by population which are susceptible to water borne diseases.

The pattern of pipe born water supply in Buea Municipality vary widely from one settlement to another within the same town due to spontaneous residential development level of income, degradation misallocation and mismanagement and population growth.

The Molyko neighborhood that has a experienced rapid residential development and population increase in the last four decades in Buea Municipality faces inadequate water supply as a major challenge unlike other settlements like Federal Quarter and Government Residential Area (GRA) where the severity of water scarcity is minimal due to misallocation, rationing mismanagement by the water utility Company (CAMWATER) and high demands by different domestic economic and social activities.

Whatever the case, catchment’s ability to supply pipe borne water to various settlements at a right quality and time continue to be a major nightmare for the municipal authorities and stake holders to solve. Therefore, the Buea Municipality residents are indirect needs of adequate, accessible and reliable good quality and quantity water supply sources and facilities to sustain their domestic, industrial recreational and agricultural needs amidst these growing challenges.

1.2 Problem Statement

Buea Municipality of the South West Region of Cameron is composed of diversified residential settlement patterns, economic activities population growth and income levels (Buea Council, 2008). Majority of economic activities, population, low class individual, informal settlements are concentrated in the lower part of the Buea municipality while administrative and high income residents and standards houses are concentrated in the upper part of the Buea Municipality.

Like most towns and cities in Cameroon, Buea Municipality has experienced an immense increase in uncontrolled residential development and population growth in recent time (Balgah, 2009; Kimeogsi, Gwan and Elinge, 2016) thus, straining the ability of CAMWATER to adequately supply pipe borne water facilities to the different residential neighborhoods. Figures from census Bureau of Regional National Institute for statistics (NIS), population studies (Bucrep, 2005) as well as United Nations (UN) growth rate for African Cities put the population of Buea Municipality at approximately 200,000 inhabitants. For Instance, Molyko being the most populated residential neighborhood of over 22000 (20%) inhabitants in the Buea Municipality is being supplied with just 8000m3 of water daily (less than 20 liters per person per day).

This implies that there is a pressure on borne water supply by the ever expanding population of student’s commercial activities and hotels as well as decongestion and depletion of water sources in some neighborhoods. This is a clear indication that the demand for water for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes are not met by water supply authorities in Buea municipality there by posing a challenge to urban planners and municipal authorities. Water is not equally supply on daily basis except in high residential area or settlement of Federal Quarters and Government Residential Area (GRA) where majority of government officials and high income citizens resides. These settlements are considered as government priority areas in term of service provisions in the Buea Municipality.

However, in the other residential neighborhoods water is actually supplied after every two days and in some cases it does not flow as well to rationing (distribution of water to different zones at different time intervals). Worse enough is the fact that most parts of Molyko, pipe borne water flows just for a few hours and stops when most people have not yet fetched water there by halting domestic, industrial, commercial and agricultural activities.

These quagmires in pipe-borne water supply in the study area have therefore attended not only the socio economic activities but also the health and well-being of the population as they turn to unsafe water sources like streams, wells, boreholes and rivers.

In recent years, however, the authorities in charge of water supply have made efforts aimed at increasing the pipe borne water supply from 13000m3 to 15000m3 per person per day. Despite all these efforts the challenges of pipe borne water supply continue to persist in Buea Municipality.

Consequently, this study seeks to examine the access to pipe borne water supply by the Cameroon water utility company (CAMWATER), the patterns of pipe borne water supply in the Buea Municipality, the challenges to pipe borne water supply and propose possible solutions for effective pipe borne water supply in the Buea Municipality.

1.3 Research Question

1.3.1 Main Research Question

How has population distribution influenced the supply of water in the Buea Municipality?

1.3.2 Specific Research Question

1. What are the causes of water scarcity?
2. How has population distribution affected water supply?
3. What are the adaptive strategies used by households to mitigate water scarcity in Buea Municipality and their constraints?

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