Between February 17 and 27, a six-member delegation of the INTEWAR project travelled to Cameroon for the second time within the project period. Staff members of FiW e.V., IHPH, IWW and PAULA Water GmbH were represented. Together with the Cameroonian project coordinator and the partners from Ciel Bleu, SOGEFI and AURA, various milestones were worked out and reached.
The first leg of the trip led to Douala, where the previously selected pilot area Makepe I was subjected to a more detailed inspection. The delegation spoke with local representatives and full cooperation was promised. This will now allow a timely approach to the implementation of the next household survey by IHPH and the University of Yaoundé I, as well as the acquisition of aerial survey data of the area for IWW and SOGEFI flood modelling.
The further course led to Yaoundé and Soa. An important event was the workshop on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, at the Soa City Hall, where the specific location for a PAULA facility in the urban area was determined with various relevant stakeholders. The German-Cameroonian consortium presented the previous work and results of the Soa analysis to the participants, including the mayor, representatives of the district administration, engineers, health care managers and members of civil society. For example, the preliminary results of the household survey were explained and three potential pre-selected sites were presented based on the processed survey data. The result of the workshop was the selection of a site at the health centre, which optimally requires the requirements and in a central location is easily accessible even in case of flooding. The existing raw water source for supplying the local population, as well as visitors and patients of the hospital, is a deep well of the St. Martin’s Foundation. There is also a connection to the drinking water network, but it is in poor quality condition and in insufficient quantity so that it cannot be used as drinking water, even if it is boiled. It is used for cleaning and washing. Tests confirmed the suspicion of faecal contamination of the well water. Thus, by treating the raw water, it is possible to ensure the supply of particularly vulnerable people, such as the sick, pregnant women, etc., especially in the event of a disaster. At the end of the trip, the mayor of Soa signed a memorandum of understanding for the installation of the plant and expressed his sincere thanks for the efforts of the project.
The next steps for the installation of the plant have already been initiated. Thus, AURA has started with the technical planning of the operation building for the plant and the procurement and organization of the required materials, which may not be available in Cameroon. A first drawing of the PAULA house has already been made with AutoCAD. A further trip for the installation is planned for the end of April.