Quantifying the nonrevenue water problem in a sub-Saharan African environment: a practical application in the Republic of Cameroon (Central Africa)

Abstract

This paper aims to update nonrevenue water (NRW) estimations in Cameroon to identify challenges to reducing NRW in the country. Data were collected from the databases of the Joint Monitoring Program of WHO and UNICEF, International Benchmarking Network for Water and Sanitation, the Central Bureau of the Census and Population Studies of Cameroon, and the Demographic Health Survey. Results indicate that the global volume of NRW in Cameroon was about 84.6 million m3/year, which represents 50.8% of the system input volume According to this estimate, it is about 32.2 billion CFA francs (USD 53.6 million), which is lost every year. By cutting down Cameroon's NRW to half its present level, about 1.75 million people could be supplied with water. This new analysis of global levels of NRW in Cameroon shows that the current estimated volume is higher than previously estimated. This is partly due to outdated infrastructure, poor operation and maintenance, over-conservative estimates used in previous estimates, and NRW level in rural areas. However, this estimate has been found to provide similar results to Camwater statistics. Nonetheless, more data would help refine the numbers.