Providing Potable Water for Local Communities Through Solar-Powered Boreholes

August 7, 2025

Solar panels mounted on a blue structure against a bright sky with greenery below. — UNDP CMR-Partial View of A Solar-powered borehole in Bonadikombo, South-West region, Cameroon-2025

UNDP Cameroon

In the South-West region of Cameroon, access to safe drinking water has long been a critical challenge, one that has been exacerbated by the ongoing crisis in the North-West and South-West regions.

In localities like Bonadikombo, families, especially women and children once walked for hours each day to fetch water from distant and often polluted sources. This daily struggle not only exposed them to waterborne diseases but also disrupted education, strained livelihoods, and jeopardized public health.

“We suffered a lot. Our wives and daughters would leave the house before dawn just to find water,” recalls Ejobo Eric Ewumbue, Quarter Head of Quarter 21 in Bonadikombo. “Sometimes they returned with nothing, and many fell sick from the dirty water they found. The lack of clean water was one of our biggest challenges.”

That story is changing. Through the UNDP Recovery Programme, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented within the framework of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development (PPRD) of the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon, Bonadikombo is now one of over 22 communities in the South-West region equipped with solar-powered boreholes, providing reliable, clean drinking water to more than 50,937 people. Each water point is upgraded, featuring rehabilitated catchment areas, storage tanks, improved distribution systems, and public stand taps powered by solar energy.

Two children near a blue building with solar panels, surrounded by greenery. — UNDP CMR-Children carrying water from the solar-powered borehole-2025

UNDP Cameroon

“Now, water is just a few steps away. My children no longer suffer from water related diseases, and I don’t have to spend hours walking to get water. I have more time to take care of my family and even run my small business,” said Neh Tabukong, a mother of five in the neighbouring Bakingili community.

The improvements are also recognized by traditional leaders. According to the Paramount Chief of Buea, His Royal Majesty Chief Dr. Robert Esuka Endeley, “These water points came at exactly the right time. Our people have suffered for too long without clean water. We are grateful to the Governments of Cameroon, Japan and UNDP for listening to the needs of the community.”

The water point in Bonadikombo is part of a broader recovery project titled “Recovery in the South-West through the rehabilitation of health centres and water points,” which aims to restore essential services in communities affected by the Anglophone crisis.

“This project was designed to address two urgent priorities: access to safe drinking water and access to basic health services,” explains Ivo Lysinge, Regional Coordinator, UNDP Recovery Programme, SW Region, Cameroon. “Thanks to the support of the Government of Japan, we were able to implement solar-powered boreholes and rehabilitate health centres that now serve as anchors of stability in the region.”

Japan’s support has funded over 22 solar-powered boreholes and rehabilitated 18 integrated health centres across the South-West region over the two phases of the project. These interventions now serve thousands of users and beneficiaries.

“We’ve moved from just 2,750 people with access to water to over 50,937 and consultations at health facilities have increased by over 20%.” the coordinator explained.