Revisiting water resources management in the Mandara Mountains
Diane Madomguia,
Esther Laurentine Nya,
Emma Laureane Njomou-Ngounou,
Nadège Gatcha-Bandjun,
Tulinave Burton Mwamila,
Jules Balna,
Emina Halimassia,
Jules Metsebo,
Wilfried Arsène Letah Nzouebet,
Raoul Rodrigue Tchoumbe,
André Firmin Bon,
Willis Gwenzi,
Chicgoua Noubactep
Affiliations
Diane Madomguia
Department of Hydraulics and Water Management, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 58, Maroua, Cameroon
Esther Laurentine Nya
Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences University of Bertoua, P.O. Box: 416, Bertoua, Cameroon; Eau Potable Pour Tous (EPPT), P.O. Box 9362, Bangangté, Cameroon
Emma Laureane Njomou-Ngounou
Department of Geography, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, P.O. Box 755, Cameroon
Nadège Gatcha-Bandjun
Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Box 118, University of Ebolowa, Cameroon; Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Box 46, University of Maroua, Cameroon
Tulinave Burton Mwamila
Water Institute, Ministry of Water, Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35059, Tanzania; NTWAM Water & Environment Initiative, P.O. Box 1041, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Jules Balna
Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Maroua, Maroua, P.O. Box 644, Cameroon
Emina Halimassia
Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Maroua, Maroua, P.O. Box 644, Cameroon
Jules Metsebo
Department of Hydraulics and Water Management, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 58, Maroua, Cameroon
Wilfried Arsène Letah Nzouebet
Department of Hydraulics and Water Management, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 58, Maroua, Cameroon
Raoul Rodrigue Tchoumbe
Faculty of Science and Technology, Campus of Banekane, Université des Montagnes, P.O. Box 208, Bangangté, Cameroon
André Firmin Bon
Department of Meteorology and Climatology, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 58, Maroua, Cameroon; Department of Basic and Applied Fundamental Sciences, Higher Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, Water and Environment, Box 118, University of Ebolowa, Cameroon
Willis Gwenzi
Biosystems and Environmental Engineering Research Group, 380 Adylin, Westgate, Harare, Zimbabwe
Chicgoua Noubactep
Faculty of Science and Technology, Campus of Banekane, Université des Montagnes, P.O. Box 208, Bangangté, Cameroon; Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), University of Göttingen, Waldweg 26, D-37073, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Applied Geology, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 3, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany; Corresponding author. Department of Applied Geology, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
This article evaluates the prospects for rainwater harvesting (RWH) as a means of optimizing water management in the Mandara Mountains. RWH is a small-scale water conservation approach for locally intercepting and storing rainfall before it enters the usual hydrologic cycle. This ancient practice has recently sustained lives in semiarid areas of the world (e.g. Brazil, China), but is not yet really used in the Mandara Mountains of Cameroon where people are still lacking safe drinking water. Recently, RWH was also demonstrated as the missing puzzle in integrated water resources management (IWRM) not only in areas facing water scarcity. The present article aims to prepare large scale RWH in the Mandara Mountains. Water harvesting yields are estimated for residential roofs, administrative and confessional buildings, and agricultural areas (e.g. farm scale). The results show that RWH is an affordable, applicable, and attractive tool for both rural and urban communities to sustainably solve the long-lasting problem of lack of safe drinking water in the Mandara Mountains. Moreover, despite the short rainy season, RWH may provide enough irrigation water to mitigate dry spells and increase agricultural and livestock productivity. This study is regarded as a blueprint for planning sustainable water management in the Mandara Mountains.
