Sanitation restored in Cameroon’s largest city, Douala

After months of unsanitary conditions, the city of Douala in Cameroon has regained its luster.

With no resources, garbage collection company Hysacam could no longer provide regular services in the country’s main cities due to a debt of 13 billion CFA francs owed by the State.
A clean up delighted some residents who had been affected by garbage.

Carine Machi, a resident of Douala lauds the company’s commitment.
“I would really say that it has changed, I am not close to here certainly, but every day Hysacam comes to do its job, I cannot say otherwise. I confirm that they are there every day to do their work even at night; we do not sleep because they are there to work,” she says.

Despite the resumed service, dissatisfied residents complain about the insufficient number of waste bins in some parts of the city.

“We still need garbage bins; certainly there is a bin but it is not enough. For instance this entire neighborhood of Bepanda has a single garbage bin! It’s not normal and with this filth everywhere, the air is polluted. In the morning when you sweep it doesn’t look like anything,” says Marie Kamdem, also a resident of Douala

Even though the Cameroonian government paid only part of the debt, Hysacam was able to get its machinery up and running again.

Durable solutions must now be found, particularly with regard to the number of bins available and their location.

The Cameroonian government has opened the garbage collection sector to competition.