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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 10, No. 3

Publication Date: June 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/aivp.103.12325. Suh, G. C., Wotchoko, P., Marie-Louise, C., & Dongmo, K. A. (2022). Devastating Geohazards and Disaster Risk Management

System in Cameroon. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(3). 481-495.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Devastating Geohazards and Disaster Risk Management System

in Cameroon

Guedjeo Christian Suh

Department of Geology, Higher Teacher’s Training College

University of Bamenda, Cameroon

Pierre Wotchoko

Department of Geology, Higher Teacher’s Training College

University of Bamenda, Cameroon

Chenyi Marie-Louise

Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences

University of Dschang, Cameroon

Kagou Armand Dongmo

Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences

University of Dschang, Cameroon

ABSTRACT

Cameroon is vulnerable to natural hazards that are exacerbated by encroachment of the

inhabitants into risk zones. When these geohazards occur, they tend to be disastrous in most

cases leaving the victims desperate. This research is aimed at investigating some devastating

geohazards that occurred in Cameroon and evaluate the government response system. This was

done using data generated from the review of Disaster Risk Reduction literature, policy

documents from the government, research institutions, academic publications and internet

sources. This permitted us to present a concise account of the types of geohazards and the

functionality of Disaster management systems in Cameroon. The findings reveal that volcanic,

landslide and floods are the most devastating geohazards in Cameroon accounting for 27%, 25%

and 12% of total deaths respectively. Some of these devasting events include; volcanic (Nyos

1986, 1746 deaths and Monoun 1984, 37 deaths), landslides (Limbe 2001, 24 deaths, Magba

2003, 22 deaths, Ngouache 2019, 42 deaths) and floods (Douala 2020, 4 deaths). The frequency

of landslide and floods has increase in recent decades and most of the affected are not resilient

to these disasters. The Disaster risk management system in Cameroon is active but not proactive

and very slow in implementing policies. The system is highly bureaucratic and not flexible.

Critical decisions are taken only at the top levels and takes time to reach those to implement in

the field consequently. It is therefore primordial to empower the councils and create a

comprehensive disaster management system in Cameroon, which shall involve the mitigation,

preparedness, response and recovery phases.

Keywords: Cameroon, Geohazards, volcanic, landslides and floods

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 10, Issue 3, June-2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

INTRODUCTION

Within the past two decades, CRED’s Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 7,348

disaster events worldwide. In total, disasters claimed approximately 1.23 million lives, an

average of 60,000 per annum, and affected over 4 billion people (many on more than one

occasion). Additionally, disasters led to approximately US$ 2.97 trillion in economic losses

worldwide. These numbers represent a sharp increase of the number of recorded disaster

events by comparison with the previous twenty years. Between 1980 and 1999, EM-DAT

recorded 4,212 disasters linked to natural hazards worldwide, which claimed approximately

1.19 million lives and affected over 3 billion people. Economic losses totalled US$ 1.63 trillion.

While better recording and reporting may partly explain some of the increase in events, much

of it is due to a significant rise in the number of climate-related disasters. Between 2000 and

2019, there were 510,837 deaths and 3.9 billion people affected by 6,681 climate-related

disasters. This compares with 3,656 climate-related events, which accounted for 995,330

deaths (47% due to drought/ famine) and 3.2 billion affected in the period 1980-1999. United

Nations Disaster Risk Reduction’s 2019 global assessment report for Disaster Risk Reduction

highlights that failure to understand and manage systemic risk is a challenge for reducing

disaster losses as set out in the global blueprint: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk

Reduction (DRR) (2015-2030) adopted by UN member States. Most African countries lack

strong national and local institutions to deal with disaster risk, which only exacerbate the

vulnerability to geohazards [1,2]. The exposure to geohazards and their impact (deaths, huge

economic and environmental losses) is as a result of the fissure in scientific understanding and

lack (absent or not enforced) of adequate disaster risk management system, mechanisms,

funds, plans, guidelines, manuals, procedures, rules and laws for undertaking safer sustainable

development.

Cameroon is prone to various Geohazards that has the potential to cause injury to life or health,

damage to property or the environment, or disruption of livelihoods and social services.

Geohazards are of geological (originate from processes or phenomena internal to the Earth,

such as volcanic eruption) and hydro-meteorological (hazards result from atmospheric,

hydrological e.g. floods and landslides) origin. According to [3] the most recurrent being;

volcanic eruptions (27%), landslides (25%) and floods (12%). According to Cameroon’s EM- DAT past disasters and losses stands at 1,783 for volcanic activity, 131 for landslides and 74 for

floods from 1971-2019. With demographic explosion and scarcity of land, thousands of

Cameroonians resort to inhabit risk zones hence increasing the vulnerability to geohazards.

Some of these geohazards have resulted in large scale or widespread damages or disruptions

(disaster). Disaster risk refers to the scale of potential losses or damages that can affect a target

community in the event of a disaster at a given time in the future, quantified as the losses or

damages in terms of lives, livelihoods, health, properties, facilities and services, among others.

Disaster risk management is a structured approach to manage uncertainty and potential

adverse impacts from a geohazard, through a process of risk assessment and the development

of strategies and specific actions to control and reduce risks. The purpose of disaster risk

management is to prevent, reduce or transfer the adverse effects of hazards. It comprises

prevention, mitigation and preparedness. That is, disaster risk management comprises all

measures and preparations done ahead of a hazardous event (or disaster). It addresses both

current and future risks (corrective and prospective risk management, respectively). Disaster

management involves identification and prioritisation of hazards, reduction of vulnerability

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Suh, G. C., Wotchoko, P., Marie-Louise, C., & Dongmo, K. A. (2022). Devastating Geohazards and Disaster Risk Management System in Cameroon.

European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(3). 481-495.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.103.12325

and management of risks in order to reduce or avoid the occurrence and or the effects of

disasters [4]. A disaster is the outcome of poorly managed risks arising from the interaction of

hazards and vulnerability. Thus, disaster prevention and reduction can be achieved by properly

managing risks. Geohazards are bound to exist, but vulnerability and risks can be reduced and

managed [5].

Thus, the present paper is attempting to discuss the deadly geohazards that occurred in

Cameroon, government response to them, and the state of national disaster risk management

framework in Cameroon, with a view to propose an efficient disaster risk Management system

in Cameroon.

THE STUDY AREA

Cameroon is located on the west coast of Africa, specifically along the Gulf of Guinea (Figure

1a). It has varying geomorphological units ranging from desert plains in the North, Mountains

in the central regions and tropical rain forest in the south and southeast. It is bounded to the

North by Chad, to the East by the Central African Republic, to the South by Congo, Gabon and

Equatorial Guinea and to the West by Nigeria (Figure 1b). Prominent in Cameroon is the Y- shaped 1600km long Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL), a major structural feature, oriented N30

in Central Africa. It is characterized by the alignment of continental volcanoes, plutons and

oceanic volcanic islands (Bioko, Principe, Sao Tomé and Pagalu) [6]. CVL extends from the

Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad. This volcano-tectonic line resulted in the formation of horst and

graben. The physical geography is varied, with forests, mountains, large waterfalls and deserts,

falling into four regions. At the border of the northern Sahel region lies Lake Chad and the Chad

basin, further south the land forms a sloping plain, rising to the Mandara Mountains. The central

region extends from the Benue (Bénoué) river to the Sanaga River, with a plateau in the north.

This region includes the Adamaoua plateau, which separates the agricultural south from the

pastoral north. In the west, the land is mountainous, with a double chain of volcanic peaks,

rising to a height of 4,095m at Mt Cameroon. The fourth region, to the south, extends from the

Sanaga River to the southern border, comprising a coastal plain and forested plateau. There is

a complicated system of drainage. Several rivers flow westwards: the Benue River which rises

in the Mandara Mountains and later joins the river Niger, and the Sanaga and Nyong rivers

which flows into the Gulf of Guinea. The Dja and Sanaga drain into the Congo Basin. The Logone

and Chari rivers flow north into Lake Chad. The country includes a variety of climatic zones

ranging from tropical rainforests to hot semi-arid climates (Sahel). Due to its diverse climates

and varied geology, Cameroon is exposed to a wide variety of meteorological, geological,

biological, and ecological hazards. In the northern Sahel region, there is a long dry season from

October to April, with temperatures varying from cool to very hot. Further south, on the

Adamawa plateau, there are sharp drops in temperature at night. In the south, the climate is

hot and humid, with two rainy seasons, in September/October and from March to June. There

is tropical rainforest (including ebony and mahogany) in the hot humid south, with mangroves

along the coast and river mouths. The southern coastal plain and southeast plateau also contain

the cocoa and banana farms and the rubber and oil palm plantations. The central region has

mixed deciduous and evergreen forest. Above the forest zone are drier woodlands, with taller

grasses and mountain bamboos. High in the interior and on Mt Cameroon the grasses are

shorter. Further north there is savannah bushland, with trees becoming sparse towards the

Chad basin. Forest covers 46% of the land area, having declined at 0.9% p.a. 1990-2005. Arable

land comprises 13% and permanent cropland 2.6% of the total land area.