Factors influencing groundwater development and mitigation strategies in Adamawa region, Cameroon: a critical review

In sub-Saharan Africa, groundwater is the most important component of the water cycle, meeting local industry needs due to climate change affecting surface water. In Cameroon, particularly in the Adamawa region, groundwater is stored in crystalline rocks and undergoes irregular utilization. The Adamawa region relies on wells and boreholes for water needs, making up for shortfalls caused by drying surface water and inadequate supply from the state-owned water distribution company. This paper aims to (i) critically analyze the legal and institutional framework governing the groundwater sector, with a focus on the current situation of groundwater supply in the Adamawa region; (ii) identify drivers and mitigating strategies for its development; and (iii) suggest ways to improve the current framework for building a unified and adaptive national groundwater (NGS) database. To this end, keywords from published articles and government documents in Adamawa and Cameroon, respectively, were analyzed using bibliometric approaches. It is found that the main challenges to developing water resources are poor water governance, inadequate infrastructure and expertise, a lack of comprehensive, updated, and harmonized hydrogeological data, a growing population, financial constraints, and a lack of coordination between relevant sectors and stakeholders. Moreover, failing policy enforcement in the sector has greatly contributed over time to project failures, low investment efficiency in both urban and rural water supply and sanitation, and low levels of local community participation. Drawing on policy examples from other countries, this paper makes recommendations such as creating an NGS database to standardize groundwater data collection, management, transmission, and sharing, and establishing a special water and sanitation fund committee within MINEE and funding mechanisms. Adopting these recommendations could help develop sustainable and effective water management policies that address all sector challenges and reduce water-related deaths.