When the rain falls heavily in Bamenda, the first thing residents notice is usually the water. It rushes down roads, gathers along streets, spills from gutters and searches for somewhere to go. But the real story is what happens next.
Where does that water go?
Does it enter a properly designed drainage channel?
Does a culvert carry it safely beneath a road?
Does it reach a river or stream without overwhelming the system?
Or does it find its way into homes, businesses, compounds and neighbourhoods?
That question has become increasingly important as Bamenda experiences repeated flooding.
The deaths of eight-year-old Azah Marie and her six-year-old brother Tse Emmanuel during a recent downpour brought the human cost into sharp focus.
But the warning signs extend far beyond one tragedy.
The Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam, Simon Emile Mooh, has identified a long list of areas across Bamenda I, II and III considered vulnerable to floods, landslides and related risks during the rainy season.
Among them are Abangoh, Akefu and Ntasie in Bamenda I; Ntambag, Njamgma, Mulang, Ngomgham, Ntanka Njankah, Njimafor, Mbatu and Barmenda in Bamenda II; and Sisia, New Layout, Below Foncha, Mile 6 Nkwen, Ntenefor, Mugheb and Ntasen in Bamenda III.
The warning also extends to populations living along water drains.
The Government's response has equally moved beyond emergency warnings.
In a 7 August 2026 press release, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mme Célestine Ketcha Courtes, acknowledged the flooding in Bamenda and its impact on residents, property and infrastructure.
She said Government remains committed to strengthening urban resilience, improving drainage infrastructure and promoting sustainable and orderly urban development.
The Minister pointed to the C2D Programme being implemented in Bamenda, which includes a significant sanitation component as part of the urban infrastructure being developed.
That intervention could become an important part of the response.
But the bigger question is whether the city is thinking about drainage as an integrated urban system rather than a collection of gutters built alongside individual roads.
Bamenda is currently experiencing major road transformation.
Roads are being widened.
Bridges are being constructed.
Inner-city roads are being rehabilitated.
The investment is changing how people move around the city.
But every road changes the way water moves too.
A paved surface absorbs less water than soil.
More development creates more runoff.
Wider roads can move larger volumes of traffic, but they can also concentrate stormwater if drainage is inadequate.
This means every major road project presents two questions:
How will people move?
And:
How will the water move?
A future-fit road must answer both.
This is why drainage should not be regarded as a secondary component of urban infrastructure.
A road that repeatedly floods will eventually deteriorate.
A bridge that becomes surrounded by uncontrolled water can become a hazard.
A blocked culvert can turn a relatively ordinary rainfall into a dangerous torrent.
The cost is eventually paid through damaged infrastructure, disrupted businesses, lost working hours and, in the worst cases, lost lives.
Much of the urban resilience in Bamenda will depend on infrastructure that residents rarely see.
Culverts.
Stormwater channels.
Underground drainage.
Water retention areas.
Protected waterways.
Maintenance access.
These may not attract the same attention as a newly tarred road, but they determine whether that road remains functional when the rains come.
A city can look transformed during the dry season and remain dangerously vulnerable during the wet season.
That is why the success of infrastructure transformation in Bamenda should not be measured only by how the city looks after construction.
It should also be measured by what happens during the heaviest rainfall.
Does traffic continue moving?
Do homes remain protected?
Do markets remain accessible?
Do bridges remain safe?
Do drains carry the water they were designed to carry?
The warning by the Minister goes further than infrastructure.
Residents have been urged to respect land use plans, building setbacks, drainage corridors, road reserves and other protected areas.
They have also been warned against constructing in flood-prone areas, wetlands, drainage channels and riverbanks.
This is crucial.
Drainage infrastructure cannot compensate indefinitely for development that ignores the natural movement of water.
If a drainage corridor is built upon, the water does not disappear.
It simply looks for another route.
Often, that route is through someone's home, business or road.
For Bamenda, therefore, urban planning and flood management must become part of the same conversation.
Where should people build?
Where should development be restricted?
Which waterways must remain protected?
Which areas require drainage upgrades?
Which existing settlements are already exposed to unacceptable levels of risk?
And what happens to people who are already living in vulnerable locations?
These are difficult questions.
But a future-fit city must be prepared to ask them.
The warning by the SDO asks residents to exercise caution during the rainy season.
The Minister is calling for stronger sensitisation, monitoring and enforcement.
These measures are necessary.
But the longer-term ambition should be to reduce the number of emergencies requiring rescue operations in the first place.
That means mapping flood-prone areas.
Maintaining drainage before the rains arrive.
Monitoring waterways.
Enforcing construction regulations.
Improving early warning systems.
Ensuring that new infrastructure is designed around the terrain and rainfall patterns in Bamenda.
And making communities part of the city's preparedness system.
The tragedy of Azah and Tse has already shown what happens when water becomes more powerful than the systems designed to contain it.
The opportunity now is to make sure the lesson is not forgotten when the roads dry.
Bamenda is building for the future.
The future will bring more roads, more buildings, more businesses and more people.
It will also bring more rain.
The city therefore has to plan for both.
Because the measure of a future-fit Bamenda will not only be how beautifully its roads look under the sun.
It will be how well those roads, drains, bridges, neighbourhoods and waterways perform when the skies open.
Future Fit Questions
1. Are drainage systems being upgraded at the same pace as Bamenda's roads?
2. Should every major road project include a detailed assessment of where stormwater will go?
3. Which of the areas identified by the SDO require urgent flood-risk mapping and intervention?
4. How can Bamenda protect natural waterways and drainage corridors while accommodating a growing population?
5. Should the C2D sanitation component be viewed as part of a wider long-term flood resilience strategy for the city?
6. How can residents living in high-risk areas be protected while enforcement of planning regulations is strengthened?
Next in Future Fit Bamenda
The Clean City Challenge: A cleaner Bamenda is not simply about appearance. When waste enters gutters, culverts and waterways, it can become part of the flooding problem. Can the city turn its waste challenge into an environmental and economic opportunity?
By Bakah Derick
Bakah Derick is an award-winning Cameroonian journalist and mediapreneur, serving as Vice President in charge of International Relations at the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union and leading Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd to amplify community voices and governance issues. With nearly 20 years in the field, his impactful reporting spanning human rights, environmental protection, inclusive development,sports and others has earned him prestigious honours such as the 2024 VIIMMA Humanitarian Reporter of the Year and more. Email: debakah2004@gmail.com Tel: +237 675 460 750
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