Douala Floods: 03 killed, 1,500 displaced, over FCFA 60 million damages recorded

The heavy down pour of the rains last weekend in the economic capital Douala was a dilemma many inhabitants of that city.  Reports say the heavy rains resulted to the demise of three kids and about 1500 persons were rendered homeless.  Property lost in various homes as well as a local company which was affected by the heavy rains is estimated at about FCFA 60 million. Douala 5, we gathered recorded the highest number of victims.

Littoral Governor, Joseph Beti Assomo is said to have held an emergency meeting to assess the situation and take necessary measures to mitigate any recurring incident. As one of the strategies, Littoral Governor is said to have warned the population to stop the throwing garbage in the gutters.  He also recommended to Dr. Fritz Ntoné Ntoné, government delegate to the Douala City Council (CUD) to intensify the cleaning and maintenance of gutters in the city. Popular opinion in Douala is pointing accusing finger at poor treatment of household waste by HYSACAM, the company that is incharge of cleaning the city and managing household waste. This poor practice is observed in large and highly populated cities like Douala and Yaoundé, where urbanization has swallowed up all the green spaces.  Poor construction of houses and the inability by HYSACAM to recycle waste household is also a cause for concern many say.

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