To improve access to potable water: CAMWATER announces plan to build 200 water points.

The programme’s primary goal is to reduce the distance between water collection points and households, with priority given to zones experiencing acute water shortages.

According to CAMWATER, the project follows the commissioning of 76 public standpipes in Ngaoundere in July 2023 and marks a new phase in CAMWATER’s water access improvement strategy. 

The new facilities will be community-managed and developed in close partnership with local councils in line with state policy directives.

Under the announced distribution plan, Yaounde and Douala will each receive 50 public standpipes. The remaining 100 will be evenly shared among the country’s ten regions, with 10 standpipes allocated to each of the Far North, North, Adamawa, East, Centre, South, Littoral, West, North West and South West regions. 

The corporation revealed that phase one of the project will be carried out in coordination with the concerned councils and alongside ongoing extensions of potable water supply systems and new household connections in urban and peri-urban areas. 

CAMWATER stated that the standpipes are intended to address immediate demand pressures linked to population growth and increased strain on existing water collection points.

The initial phase is planned to run for six months. At the end of this pilot period, the operation is expected to be gradually expanded, depending on results achieved, needs expressed by local authorities and the availability of financial resources. The objective is to extend coverage to additional priority areas facing high levels of water stress.

According to published information, CAMWATER’s top management has instructed technical teams to complete all preparatory work required to ensure rapid implementation, in accordance with technical standards and government orientations.

The construction of public standpipes is presented as a temporary measure in major urban centres, pending the effective launch of large-scale reconfiguration projects for water supply systems in Yaounde and Douala scheduled for 2026.

These actions are expected to be reinforced by several ongoing and planned projects, including the Drinking Water Supply Project for the City of Yaounde and its Surroundings from the Sanaga River, PAEPYS, and the already operational Emergency Project for Better Integration of Additional Water Volume from PAEPYS, PUMIP, programme, and the rehabilitation and extension of the Japoma water treatment plant in Douala to significantly increase production capacity.

According to CAMWATER, the initiative aligns with instructions issued by President Paul Biya in his December 31, 2025 address to the nation, in which he called for intensified efforts to extend and rehabilitate drinking water supply networks to meet population needs on a sustainable basis. 

CAMWATER said the programme is being implemented under government guidance and within the framework of those directives.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3672 of Tuesday January 13, 2026