Access to safe drinking water and sanitation: A case study at the district community, in Douala V (Cameroon)

Abstract

Introduction: access to drinking water and sanitation has been a long-standing issue between many States. However, it represents a daily struggle for hundreds of thousands of city dwellers who live mainly in the developing countries. The government of Cameroon with the assistance of providers of funds have implemented strategies to make sanitation and access to safe drinking water a reality. We have therefore decided to assess sanitation and access to drinking water in Douala V sub division. Method: we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study from May to June 2018. We used a two-stage random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using Epi Info Version 7.1.3.3. Results: our study shows that 22.47% of subjects discharged waters into the natural environment after use. Then, 65,55% (493/752) of households consumed borehole water; 53.69% of households rode between 1 to 5 km, 49.25% walked more than 15 minutes to collect water and 85,50% of households did not use a water treatment method. Only 14.49% of subjects used a water treatment method. No household used solar water disinfection (SODIS); 2/752 households (0.26%) had no latrine. Most of the households (54.52%; 410/752) discharged domestic wastes onto the street. Conclusion: the creation of decentralized units: the drillings, waste disposal systems and water treatment education to meet basic needs are essential.