Buea: Rapid Urbanization As Cause For Concern

By Mofor Samuel
With the advent of the University of Buea, since 1993, the town has witnessed a tremendous influx of people. But for students who come every year in their thousands, job seekers, businesses and other commercial activities have flooded the municipality. Most of the towns created by colonial administration were designed for colonial administration and trading centres rather than commercial centres equipped to support large population. Buea as a very fast growing town is not exempted from some of the headaches of urbanization, giving that it was once under colonial administration and since then, it is more of an administrative town than a commercial one. Today with the rapid increase in the population, the social amenities in the municipality are unable to keep up with the explosive growth of squatter communities and shanty towns. Presently the town is facing housing problems water is rationed, experiences low voltage, and sanitation problems amongst others.

With an estimated population of about 200,000 people, Buea became the colonial capital of German Cameroon from 1901-1909. With the defeat of the Germans in World War One, the British came in and made it capital of Southern Cameroons and then between 1954 to 1972, Buea was the capital of West Cameroon. Buea is presently the capital of the South West Region.

The municipality is today facing serious environmental problems with untold impact on the health of the population. Environmental and Health problems arise from the improper human waste disposal, poor system of garbage disposal, air pollution, unsafe water supplies, inadequate housing, building on slopes and along flood plains and other areas vulnerable to pollution, overcrowdedness, blocking of water ways and passages, water shortage and crisis, blocked drainage system, encroaching the forest on the mountain slopes, poor town planning and non-respect of expert advice and laid down regulations of proper town planning, inadequate health care facilities etc.

Air pollution levels are neither monitored nor controlled in Buea eventhough air pollution is still low compared to other areas, it is fast becoming a problem to the town. Burning of fuel wood, fires, exhaust fumes from vehicles etc, cause air pollution.

Malaria is the commonest disease spreading as a result of unplanned urbanization. Others being STDs and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and water and food borne diseases. The anopheles mosquito has adapted from its natural forest environment where it breeds in tree holes containing rainwater to urban environment where it breeds in drains, water cans, discarded tyres, pots and bottles etc.

Owing to these many environmental factors, areas settled by the urban poor are often fragile and the concentration of population contributes to degradation. Owing to the rapid urbanization, infrastructure designed for specific population levels break down under the stain of trying to serve too many. Currently, 30-60% of the world’s population are in low-income countries and lack adequate housing with sanitary facilities, drainage systems and clean piped water.

Located at the foot of Mount Cameroon, an active volcanic mountain with the last major eruption taking place in 1999,Buea is a disaster prone area hence the need for adequate town planning measures to be taken into consideration as far as the construction of human settlements are concerned. These measures if well respected will prevent and minimize the damage caused in case of an eruption since eruptions are normally preceded by earthquakes and tremors.

Such is not the case today as people build in any and every available space. The basic problem is that successive administrations have not been committed to achieving and sustaining a healthy environment. In many instances, the necessary policies are not formulated or published, outdated policies are not revised and policy implementation is sometimes inappropriate. Laws and regulations are not always based on informed evaluation of perceived problems, the population is not empowered to comply with the laws and enforcement is neither impartial nor sustained.

In most of Cameroon’s urban and semi-urban municipalities, planlessness is much widespread and where plans exist they are most often than not, not respected. Do not be surprised to see structures erected on plots or areas reserved for sewer lines or the conversion of streets to open markets. For example some greedy local government authorities including that of Buea often allocate any and every available space for the construction of shops. No thought is given for the provision of toilets for shopkeepers or shoppers or to the collection and disposal of the solid waste which are inevitably generated.

Open drains which criss cross the municipality constitute a major health hazard. The local government should enforce laws which control the standards for design, construction and maintenance of open drains. Land lords, proprietors and tenants should be liable to prosecution if the open drains around their houses or premises are blocked.

Efforts to provide potable water for our towns have been constructed almost exclusively on large schemes which are very expensive and involve laying of pipes over long distances. Very little attention has been paid to small schemes which are cost effective.

The disposal of solid waste is the final treatment given to the waste in order to make it stable or environmentally friendly. Buea council practices controlled tipping but this is untrue. They merely dump waste into depressed areas without compacting or covering it which are the key features that make the method sanitary.

Although all tiers of government must share the blame for the present deplorable state of environmental health due to inadequate or poor urbanization, the local governments, Buea inclusive, are undoubtedly the worst offenders. For example the standard excuse of councils for failure to perform is often attributed to no allocation of funds.

Since urbanization has adverse effects on the environment and preventing it is next to impossible, slowing rural to urban drift by developing rural centres would allow the latter to enhance their employment capabilities.