Cameroon

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Cameroon is part of:
Africa · Middle Africa · Western Africa ·
Water Basins of Cameroon:
Akpa · Benito-Ntem · Congo-Zaire · Cross · Lake Chad · Niger Basin · Ogooue · Sanaga ·

Facts & Figures

edit

Capital

Yaoundé

Neighbouring Countries

Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea

Total Area

475,440 km²

- Water

6,000 km² (1.26%) / 126 m²/ha

- Land

469,440 km²

Coastline

402 km

Population

16,321,860 (34 inhab./km²)

HDI^A

0.514 (2007)

Gini Coefficient^A

44.6 (1995)

Nominal GDP^B

$25,000 million

GDP (PPP) Per Capita^B

$2,400

National UN Presence

FAO, UNDP, UNHCR, WHO, UNICEF, WB, UNESCO, UNIDO

Land Use^C

- Cultivated Land

70,698 km² (15.06%)

- Arable

58,868 km² (12.54%)

- Permanent Crops

11,830 km² (2.52%)

- Irrigated

260 km²

- Non cultivated

7,822,060 km² (84.94%)

Average Annual Rainfall^D

1604 mm

Renewable Water Resources^E

285.5 km³

Water Withdrawals^F	0.99 km³/yr
- For Agricultural Use	74%
- For Domestic Use	18%
- For Industrial Use	8%
- Per Capita	67 m³

Population with safe access to
- Improved Water Source	66%
- Urban population	86%
- Rural population	44%
- Improved Sanitation	51%
- Urban population	58%
- Rural population	43%

References & Remarks

^A UNDP Human Development Report

^B CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia

^C CIA World Factbook Country Profiles

^D Aquastat - FAO's Information System on Water and Agriculture

^E CIA World Factbook

^F Earthtrends

Latest 4 maps for / including Cameroon (more..):

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1 News
2 Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context
3 Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources
4 Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment
5 Country Profile: Water Sector Coordination
6 Country Profile: Trends in Water Use, Management and Sanitation
7 Country Profile: Challenges and Opportunities
8 Articles
9 Projects and Case Studies
10 Publications
11 Who is Who
12 References
13 See also
14 External Resources

News

Country Profile: Climate, Geography, Socio-Economic Context

Cameroon is situated between West and Central Africa at the extreme north-eastern end of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bordered by Chad in the north-east, the Central African Republic on the east, the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea on the south, and Nigeria on the west. It has about 400 km of Atlantic coastline in the southwest, and shares Lake Chad with Chad in the north. The country’s total surface area is about 475,650 km², and the estimated population is 18 million (WHO/UNICEF, 2008), with more than half under age 25. The urban and rural populations are about the same size, although urbanization is increasing by 4.7% per year, on average. About 35% of the urban population lives in the economic capital, Douala, or the administrative capital, Yaoundé.^[1]

The country’s 1,200 km length, proximity to the sea and topography give it a varied climate with wide differences in rainfall and vegetation. The maximum rainfall of 10,000 mm occurs in the equatorial climate zone in the south, and the minimum of 500 mm in the extreme north on the edge of the Sahara. The average annual rainfall is about 1,684 mm.

Average rainfall has been declining since the 1950s. In the last three decades it has decreased by about 5%. Reduced flow rates have been more pronounced in areas with a Sahelian climate, where reductions ranging from 15% to 25% have been recorded. These changes have led to increased desertification in the north and a falling water table due to reduced recharge. In addition, previously permanent wells are drying up late in the dry season.

Country Profile: Water Bodies and Resources

Cameroon has a dense network of rivers, most of which arise on the central Adamawa plateau and flow north or south. These provide it with abundant water resources in relation to current demand. The six main basins are Sanaga, Sanaga West, Sanaga South, Benoue, Congo and Lake Chad. The Sanaga basin, located in the centre of the country, is the largest, covering about 29% of the territory. It and the Sanaga West and South basins constitute the Atlantic basin. Cameroon’s total annual renewable water resources amount to some 283.5 billion m³ or about 17,000 m³ per capita, using 2006 population estimates (Aquastat, 2007). The groundwater resources have not yet been comprehensively evaluated, so their potential is not known precisely, but is estimated at 100 billion to 120 billion m³. Due to the lack of comprehensive monitoring of water resources, consumption patterns are not known exactly. However it is estimated that about 1 billion m³ of the total renewable water resources is withdrawn annually. Of this, roughly 74% is used in agriculture, 18% for municipal consumption and 8% in industry (Aquastat, 2007).

Agriculture is the backbone of Cameroon’s economy, accounting for about 41% of GDP (World Bank, 2007) and 55% of the workforce (WRI, 2007). At about 69,750 km², arable land amounts to 15% of the overall surface area. About 29% of the arable land is cultivated, mostly in the west and south-west. The share of the population working in agriculture has been decreasing since the 1970s, but as productivity has increased over the same period, food security has not been directly affected. Irrigation has contributed substantially to productivity, making cultivation possible during the dry season. In 2000, irrigated area of about 224.5 km² (excluding 28 km² of spate irrigation, where floods are diverted from ephemeral rivers to cultivate crops) corresponded to around 8% of the potentially irrigable area. Large irrigation projects (more than 2 km²) accounted for roughly 65% of the irrigated area (Aquastat, 2005). Some large state-owned systems were abandoned due to low performance, while others that were privatized succeeded in improving efficiency of banana production for export. Consequently, the government has been privatizing larger irrigation systems and supporting projects of less than 5 ha (0.05 km²), aiming to increase irrigation efficiency and sustainability.

Although Cameroon has sufficient water resources, choices in water use have started to affect water availability and ecosystems. For example, plantation of eucalyptus in the western highlands to provide firewood and construction material induced a very high evapotranspiration rate, which has altered the ecosystem and greatly diminished groundwater recharge and the flow rate in the area.

The country’s estimated hydroelectric potential is 35 GW. Even with only around 2% of this potential developed, hydroelectricity accounts for about 97% of electricity generation in Cameroon (EIA, 2004). Because there is no nationwide grid, 20% of the electricity produced is lost, even though the south is undersupplied. Also undersupplied are rural areas in general, where only some 20% of the population has access to electricity, compared with 80% in urban areas. Overall, about 8.7 million people, or 53% of the population, lack access to electricity (IEA, 2006). To improve the situation, the Rural Electrification Agency promotes micro hydro projects and has demanded an increase in the national budget for rural electrification. Cameroon’s heavy reliance on hydropower leaves its energy sector extremely vulnerable to drought, however. Existing hydroelectricity capacity falls short of meeting current demand, and shortages are especially acute in the dry season. Pending further hydropower development, the National Electricity Company has begun building thermal power plants. Despite the country’s weak industrial base, the main user of electricity is the aluminium industry, which accounts for about half of all electricity consumed in Cameroon. Due to the absence of an effective monitoring system, data on industrial effluent emissions are patchy, and the extent of water pollution in Cameroon is not fully known.

Country Profile: Legal and Institutional Environment

Water is considered to be public property in Cameroon, and thus water protection and management are government responsibilities. Several institutions are involved in water management. Under the 1998 Water Law, the National Water Committee coordinates their actions. The committee is also responsible for:

proposing actions to the government to assure the conservation, protection and sustainable use of water resources;
providing advice on water-related problems;
making recommendations on rational water management, particularly concerning the development and implementation of sustainable water and sanitation projects.

Chaired by the minister in charge of water resources, the National Water Committee includes high-level representatives of major stakeholders involved in water management in Cameroon, including the ministries in charge of finance, public health, environment, land management, urban development and housing, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, commerce and industry, territorial administration and meteorology, as well as associations of mayors and concessionaires of public water and energy services. The National Water Committee was formed by decree in 1985 as a consultative body to coordinate activities in the water sector. It has met only infrequently and never fulfilled its intended role. Recently signed enabling decrees under the 1998 Water Law, however, could give the committee new impetus and allow it to function more effectively (UN Water/Africa, 2006).

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is accepted in Cameroon as the starting point for policies that can enhance sustainable water resources management and development, and assure water security. However, conditions for effective use of the IWRM approach are not yet in place. Not only does Cameroon lack comprehensive information on water resources, but the distribution of water management authority is highly fragmented, and sectoral management approaches predominate. Moreover, the political will and commitment to enforce existing laws and regulations is inadequate, as are human and institutional capacity and investment for assessment and monitoring. Nevertheless, measures to improve water security have been carried out or are under way, including: