The effect of urbanization on community-managed water supply: case study of Buea, Cameroon

Community-based projects play an important role in developing countries' efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving the population without access to improved water sources. Often associated with rural communities, they are increasingly being implemented in urban areas, where rural community-based management practices may be unsuitable. This research examines a small community-managed water supply scheme in Buea, a rapidly growing urban area in Cameroon. Stakeholder interviews and household questionnaires were used to better understand the implications of urbanization on community-managed water supply projects. The urban context adds management and planning pressures because of larger, more diverse, populations and rapid population growth. Urban community-managed schemes require an institutional framework to encourage participation, which is at an increased risk of failure due to the urban context. Finally, urban community-managed schemes need to be implemented in an institutional context, where they have legitimacy in the urban water supply framework, thereby allowing them to have access to the institutional and technical support they require to function sustainably. The consequence of failure is a return to 'unimproved' water sources.