The population of Makepe Missoke in Douala V, Littoral region of Cameroon has been assured of the construction of a temporal bridge leading to other neighbourhoods following a protest staged after one of theirs lost his life while trying to cross over the makeshift bridge in heavy floods that hit the economic capital Friday October 22.
Inhabitants of the Makepe Missoke neighbourhood in Douala V are yet to come to terms with the sudden death of one of theirs, following heavy rains that hit that part of the country last Friday.
The victim, an 18-year-old identified as Simplice Achou attempted to cross over a makeshift bridge linking the neighbourhood to other parts of the Municipality when it gave way to the pressure of floods caused by heavy rains.
He fell into the water and died. His lifeless body will be discovered after hours of search. Apart from this human loss, the population have decried enormous material damage after the passage of floods.
When the water level had gone down, they stormed the street and blocked the road leading to the neighbourhood, demanding the construction of a permanent bridge following the destruction of the previous one constructed with makeshift material.
The protest took the Mayor of Douala V to the scene. To calm down tension, the administrator promised a permanent bridge would be constructed as from February 2022. Before then, he reassured the people a temporal bridge would be built to ease movement.
In the meantime, the weather service in Cameroon has predicted more heavy downpours in the Littoral region until Sunday October 31. The population in risky zones has thus been called upon to leave the said areas for safety.
The Littoral region has for a long time now been a victim of floods caused by heavy rains. Construction on lands unsuitable for habitation is one of the reasons advanced by authorities in the region.
As years go by by, many have learnt to live with the risk of flooding while waiting for better financial situations.
