Lack Of Means, Unethical Civic Behaviour

One party is not doing its own part of the deal in keeping the city of Yaounde clean.

Before now inhabitants of Yaounde as well as those visiting the city witnessed the rapid and evolving change as far as keeping the city clean was concerned. Not only were the streets of Yaounde getting more environmental friendly in terms of its clean and presentable nature, but also for the ever constant presence of the waste disposal company, (HYSACAM), workers in all the nooks and crannies of the town trying to collect and dispose of any waste seen.

But today, the story seems to be different. The streets of Yaounde are getting dirty by the day with huge garbage heaps and the fact that the number of HYSACAM workers seen on duty continue to drop. With the absence of HYSACAM workers on duty, the poor hygienic state of Yaounde has come under questioning. The Regional Director of HYSACAM in Yaounde, Claude Eboute Mbappe, acknowledges the fact that they have problems executing their duties because of lack of money. Because the Yaounde City Council has been slow to pay its bills, HYSACAM has not been able to carry out repair works on their heavy-duty vehicles charged with collecting household refuse in the town.

That is why at HYSACAM base in Yaounde, the activity to collect and dispose of waste seems to be dwindling. Majority of the garbage-collection vehicles are parked in the company’s garage. Claude Eboute Mbappe told Cameroon Tribune that HYSACAM is in need of money not only to fuel the cars, but also to repair those that are bad. According to him, amongst the 100 vehicles charged with collection and disposal of dirt in Yaounde, only 10 are on duty to dispose the over 1,300 tonnes of household garbage found in bins in the streets of Yaounde each day. Although the Government Delegate to the Yaounde City Council, Gilbert Tsimi Evouna recognised the fact that ...