West Region: Inhabitants decry absence of bridge, say river causes deaths

By Vera Fon

For more than 40 years, the population of Bamendzi, a district of Bafoussam have had difficulty crossing the Tapentchué stream due to the absence of a bridge. This area, which is one of the risk areas of the Mifi department, has already led to the death of several people.

Frequent landslides, difficulties in crossing to the other side. The bed of the river is estimated at 6 meters wide. As a result, local residents cross this watercourse with great difficulty and sometimes you have to be athletic to do so. Such are the difficulties faced at the two banks all along the Tapetchué stream.

“The first difficulty is that, to cross is not certain, its either you skip to cross the bridge or go round when it is raining. If there was a bridge here, we will pass with much ease without having to be falling into the running water. There are many children here and people living here, it is not safe for us,”. Christian Tewa, a resident of the area said.

A river that has already carried away several people. The latest are two internally displaced children aged 8 and 9. Hence the cries of the hearts of the populations on the need for the state to build a bridge over this running water.

Another resident Jean Mouyeicho stated that; “This water has killed a lot of people here, for example, when it rains heavily here, and someone is trying to cross, the runoff carries the person away, and at times the population is not even aware of the incident. Last week, two children wanted to go and wash their cloths and the water carried them away, it is just three days ago that the last corpse was discovered,”.

He further explained that; “When I just came here, we had no problem because the water was very small, it has grown so big and causing so much problem and panic to the population living here. Many children leave from one side to another to go to school, some to wash dresses and even when someone is sick, to cross the person is a problem, we really need the bridge,”.

With the return of the rains, the inhabitants are hoping on the local authorities to rescue the situation.