Some Douala Streets Glitter but...

Some streets in Douala may look good and tarred but they are rough and bumpy.

A visitor driving into Douala from Yaounde may appreciate the state of the streets in Douala. He may appreciate the fact that the streets leading into the town all have some thin layer of tare. Such opinions are easily held by those who drive in through the airport end into the administrative neighbourhood; Bonanjo But the ride cannot be smooth. It is usually bumpy and sometimes dangerous.
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s for a commuter coming in from the South of Douala the opinion is quite different. The poor state of the streets is evident and easily noticed. As regards road infrastructure the Bonaberi neighbourhood is one of the worst in Douala. Here, the potholes are strewn everywhere. The thin layer of tar can be seen in areas that are yet to be dug up by the tires of heavy trucks or washed away by rain water. Degradation caused by erosion or heavy traffic has uncovered several stretches of the streets exposing some bitter truth. The fact that most of the streets were only given a thin layer of tare on lose soil. Under the tar there are materials that cannot withstand the bad weather conditions and the heavy traffic. What many people appreciate is the tar which glitters.

In some neighbourhoods in Douala, the streets are simply unbearable both to the pedestrians and vehicle owners, because they are very bumpy with potholes everywhere and standing water in the potholes. In fact, whether it rains or not, water fills the holes. There are neighbourhoods like Bonaberi, Mabanda, Makepe, Ndokotti, and Rue de la Joie in Deido that require immediate attention. Another striking issue is that most of these streets were recently constructed or maintained.

The weather condition, poor maintenance and the heavy traffic make the life span of the streets very short. An example is one of the Makepe streets which have served for less than five years since it was constructed. But the road was said to have been constructed for small vehicles and certainly the material which was used in constructing it could only support small vehicles. But over the years, trucks and caterpillars with large tyres and weighing several tonnes have been plying on it causing degradation. Unfortunately these heavy duty vehicles could not be barred from using the roads. There was no alternative.

Another destructive element is water. Heavy rains easily erode the streets causing destruction. When roads are built without gutters, rain water flows on the surface and sinks into the little cracks on the road. These are the origins of large potholes. The development of these potholes is facilitated by the fact that certain parts of Douala are below sea level. Streets are built on some swampy areas. It is certain that such roads cannot last long.

EFFA TAMBENKONGHO