Meyomessala et bengbis au gre des mutations Environnementales et socioeconomiques induites par le barrage hydroelectrique de mekin

Abstract

The present research work is on: “THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGES INFLUENCED BY THE MEKIN HYDROELECTRIC DAM IN MEYOMESSALA AND BENGBIS LOCALITIES”. Before the implementation of the “structuring project” in 2010, the Meyomessala and Bengbis localities have been exposed to lack and insufficient electric power supply. As a result, the aforementioned divisions will be endowed with a hydroelectric Dam to improve local development, and contribute to the Emergence of Cameroon by 2035. In this light, merges the problem of the environmental and socioeconomic changes influenced by the Mekin hydroelectric Dam. The main focus of our work is based in the analysis of the relationship between the construction of the Dam and its impact in the geographical sphere of Mekin and Bengbis localities. Our working methodology is based on the prism of the overall approach, the systemic and hypothetico-deductive approach. To identify the facts and quantify them, a data collection was initiated, focusing on statistical, cartographic, photographic processing and the acquisition and processing of satellite images. We started from the hypothesis according to which the Mekin hydroelectric dam brought environmental and socio-economic changes to the districts of Meyomessala and Bengbis, by contributing to their development. With a view to achieving the expected objectives, our methodology consisted of research and documentary exploitation, carrying out direct observations and interviews with village chiefs and other resource persons in the dam's impact zone, administering a standardized questionnaire to households in the area and collecting health data from health centers in the area. Subsequently, 06 localities in the districts of Meyomessala and Bengbis were surveyed. As far as these localities are concerned, official cartographic documents allowed us to carry out an exhaustive analysis in addition to cartographic data, field observation and documents, to take stock of the impact of the project in the two localities, precisely in target villages close to the infrastructure affected by the project. To better perceive our phenomena and quantify them, we needed to use LANDSAT image analysis and processing with the aid of remote sensing in order to globally observe the footprint of the infrastructure in the zone studied. The data collected and analyzed made it possible to bring out the results we achieved (level of surface water : 19% in 2015, 62% in 2022. Prevalence level of malaria :18% in 2017, 30% in 2018, 25% in 2019, 05 % in 2020, 02 % in 2021, and 03 % in 2022). For the HIV-AIDS (09 % in 2011, et 13 % in % 2020). They showed that the Mekin hydroelectric dam brought considerable changes both environmentally and socio-economically in 06 target rural localities bordering the Dja river: Mekin, Ekok, Mekomo, Bissombo, Nyabizou, Biton and Assok, with a rate of participation in fishing of 96 % for non-natives against 04 % for ingenous. The impact of the dam in these localities being most felt, gives it all the interest that we have in it because of our observations made during our pre-surveys, observing from the outset phenomena such as: the appearance of related phenomena and facts (flooding in areas located upfront, the intensification of the invasion of some wild animal species in plantations), and moreover, the development of fishing.... etc