Coping strategies for access to potable water in urban areas : The case of Yaoundé VI sub-division, Cameroon. A contribution to medical anthropology.

Abstract

Our work is entitled: “Coping startegies for access to Potable Water in Urban Areas: the Case Study of Yaoundé VI Sub-Division, Cameroon. A contribution to Medical Anthropology”. The work examines the strategies put in place by the inhabitants to get access to potable water in their environment. The main research question is : what are the coping strategies, put in place by the inhabitants of Yaoundé VI Sub-Division to cope with water problems. The main research hypothesis is, the population uses different strategies like drilling of boreholes, local springs and treatment of their water before drinking. The main research objective is to identify the different coping strategies put in place by the population to overcome water crisis. In order to collect data, we used qualitative and quantitative research methods with research: The study design was ethnographic with technics such as; technics such as interviews, participant observation, focus group discussion, life history, questionnaire just to name a few. We used Cultural ecology theory by Julian (1955) and Anderson (1992), studies how humans adapt in their environment. It looks at man as a cause to negative things happening in the environment and the solution still lies on what the human being can do to survive in the environment. Cultural interpretative theory was used as it views people as a being entangled in webs (toiles) of meaning that are of their own making. Culture, according to Geertz (1973), is embodied in the person who acts out of and in a certain context, and this culture is revealed in this person's actions and his interpretation of their meaning. This study reveals that getting access to potable water is a difficult issue in Yaoundé VI council area. We find out that the council workers do not actually know the quarters that are really in need of potable water. The inhabitants revealed using strategies like, boiling water, filtering, chlorine tablets, proper disposal of waste materials by the population and visiting the hospital in case of illnesses. Lastly, the socio-economic status of the population does not permit some to have access to potable water.