Bamenda III Water Supply Reaches 100,000 People After Major Optimisation

At the optimisation site at the Bamenda III Council. Karl Heinz, water expert with Mayor Fongu Cletus

The Bamenda III subdivisional water supply system has undergone major optimisation works, significantly improving access to clean and reliable water for thousands of residents, including neighbourhoods that had never previously benefited from the scheme. 

The 2026 optimisation marks a major milestone in the council’s long-term efforts to strengthen water production, storage, and distribution across the municipality.

Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwie 

According to the Mayor of Bamenda III Council, Fongu Cletus Tanwie, the central challenge before the recent intervention was not the availability of water at the source but weak circulation within the distribution network. He explained that although there was sufficient water at the catchment area in Nefi and earlier at the Menteh waterfall, the first dam constructed was too small to retain adequate volumes for household and community needs. As a result, several neighbourhoods, including Ntaghem, did not benefit from the scheme at all, while others such as Ntahkikah experienced acute shortages, especially during the dry season.

Major optimisation works

The 2026 optimisation works were therefore designed to resolve these long-standing challenges. Mayor Fongu said the intervention successfully strengthened the entire supply chain, from the catchment and dam to the treatment centre, pumping stations, reservoirs, and pipelines.

Most reservoirs now hold sufficient water and are effectively interconnected, ensuring constant circulation within the network. With this improved system, areas that previously enjoyed water will no longer suffer interruptions, while communities that had never accessed the scheme are now being supplied. He stressed that the improvements guarantee a more equitable and impactful supply, with direct benefits for public health, in line with the council’s motto which states that clean water means long life.

Reservoir put to use

A major feature of the optimisation is the installation of three new pumping stations located at the Bamenda III Council premises, Ntaghem, and near Saint Paul's Comprehensive College. These stations pump water to high-altitude reservoirs at strategic points such as GTTC, Helly Mission, and Ntambessi Quarter. With these additions, the municipality’s overall production and storage capacity has increased to nearly one million litres, ensuring that water remains available within the network at all times. 

Solar-powered pumping systems, supported by lithium batteries, have been installed at key stations to address frequent electricity outages, particularly during the rainy season.

Providing technical background to the project, Karl Heinz Heinisch, a German water supply engineer and Second Chairman of the NGO Trinkwasser für Kamerun (Drinking Water for Cameroon), traced the initiative back to 2012 when the water catchment at the Menteh waterfall was identified in collaboration with the council. He explained that the first dam, built in 2016, gradually lost capacity due to sedimentation caused by gravel and sand flowing into the reservoir, which severely affected supply during the dry season. To address this, a new and much larger dam was constructed in April 2025, equipped with advanced flushing systems and overflow structures to remove debris and maintain capacity.

Heinisch noted that growing demand from public taps and household connections also exposed the limitations of relying on a single main pipeline, which resulted in pressure losses and made it impossible to supply distant and elevated neighbourhoods. The solution involved constructing additional pumping stations, expanding the pipe network, and refurbishing existing reservoirs, including those at Full Gospel, GTTC, and Ntambessi. By distributing water from four different directions, the system now ensures shorter supply lines, higher pressure, and uninterrupted flow even during periods of peak consumption.

Good drinking water flows in Bamenda III

The new pumping stations operate automatically using pressure and level sensors that regulate water flow based on reservoir capacity and community demand. Each station functions independently within the network, allowing for efficient and flexible management of supply. The main reservoir at the Bamenda III Council area alone holds about 60,000 litres, while other tanks have capacities ranging between 40,000 and 50,000 litres. This collectively strengthens the municipality’s water security.

Mayor Fongu also highlighted the sustainability of the project, noting that although German experts supported the optimisation works, youths have been trained over the past decade to manage the system and ensure continuity long after the departure of the foreign partners. 

Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwie also announced plans for a further optimisation phase in 2027, which will focus on rehabilitating the internal pipe network and installing a modern monitoring system capable of detecting where pipes break, to ensure faster maintenance and reducing water loss.

As the German partners take their leave, one thing is sure, that the Bamenda III water scheme now reaches out to about 100,000 inhabitants, reaching far off neighbourhoods like never before.