In New Bell, a district of the 2nd district of Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, the inhabitants have nicknamed it “the building of death”. At first sight, the building seems uninhabited. Part of the first floor facade fell. On the second level, a section of the roof has come off. However, on the balcony, clothes are drying on a line and, on the ground floor of this house, a small printing press is running at full speed this Saturday, August 12.
In the room with decrepit walls plunged into semi-darkness, men are assembling papers. “I have been renting here for fifteen years,” explains Raphaël Kamga, one of the printing plant managers. I know it is dangerous to continue working in this place. We lack the financial means to move. After last month’s deadly collapse, I’m obviously very scared. »
On the night of Saturday to Sunday July 23, a four-storey building collapsed in the Ndogbong district, in the 5th arrondissement, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 20. According to neighbors, this dwelling was also nicknamed “the building of death”. “The walls weren’t plastered. There was no escape route. Everyone knew and saw that it was very poorly built. But we didn’t know it was going to do so much damage,” said neighbor Claryse Tidjong. During the collapse, the building crushed part of his house, killing his daughter, Ange Doriane Tidjong, 19, and one of his tenants.
“Let the situation rot”
According to Philippe-Sylvestre, a neighbor living one row away from the scene of the tragedy, “even the authorities were aware of the very bad state of the building which was shaking”. “When the owner and his wife were still living, I had personally advised them to have the building demolished, confides the sixty-something When they died, we advised the same thing to his young son. Without success. Instead, he continued with the construction. I have repeatedly denounced this situation to the town hall. As always, they let the situation rot. »
For many years, building collapses have followed one another in the economic capital and in certain localities of the country. In 2021, faced with the scale of the phenomenon, Cameroon Tribune, the government daily, called for “stopping the scourge”. Yet, nothing has changed. Two days after the tragedy in Douala, another building collapsed in Ngaoundéré, in Adamaoua, one of the three regions of northern Cameroon, killing at least four people.
With each tragedy, the authorities go down to the scene and point out the lack of building permits or houses built without respecting technical standards: use of the wrong equipment, construction in prohibited areas, non-compliance with environmental rules, dilapidated housing… According to Cameroonian law, before “undertaking any construction, even if it does not include a foundation”, you must first obtain a building permit issued by the municipality concerned, after verification by a commission compliance with the “urban planning rules in force”. But, in fact, “90% of the constructions of Douala do not have a building permit”, explains to Le Monde, Arnold Mouangue, director of communication and public relations of the Urban Community of Douala (CUD).
“National Gangrene”
More serious, according to doctor Antoine Nsegbe, urban planner, the monotonous relief of the economic capital, marked by gentle to low slopes inducing an outcrop of the water table which quickly saturates in the rainy season, imposes “good geotechnical studies” before any construction. “Almost all of these collapses in the city occurred during the rainy season, which places water infiltration in pole position of the probable causes”, underlines this specialist in urban geography.
According to another planner who requested anonymity, beyond these geophysical causes, “the real problem is the corruption coupled with the carelessness that prevails in the town halls of the city”. “There are hardly any controls on the ground. The rare times there are, the agents close their eyes against money, assures this man who has brought his expertise to several urban planning projects in Cameroon. This is why if we make a diagnosis, we will find that more than 95% of the houses and buildings in the country are built without respecting technical standards. »
At the CUD, the authorities, who recognize that “corruption is a national gangrene”, announce the existence of a cell which receives denunciations and conducts investigations. According to Arnold Mouangue, two agents of the control brigade are currently suspended for having issued a false building permit to a house under construction. The pot of roses was discovered during a “chance” visit by the deputy mayor. “For a city of almost 5 million people, we only have 500 to 600 city police. It is very little, underlines the director of communication of the CUD. Nearly 200 are in the offices, very few in the field. The city of Douala needs many more police officers, many more control brigades. »
distant memory
After the July tragedy, the authorities set up a toll-free number to denounce buildings that did not meet the standards and began the destruction of certain buildings while sealing dozens of others. But, already, they say they face the lack of financial means and appropriate equipment to destroy “without affecting” the neighborhood. According to the urban planner quoted above, these dismantlings are “a flash in the pan”.
“Real estate demand is exploding. You have to stay and cheaper. Everywhere you see simple houses rising into multi-storey buildings. They are sleep merchants. If we destroy, other problems will arise. If we don’t destroy, there will always be deaths,” he said. For his part, Doctor Antoine Nzegbe thinks that “the return to orthodoxy seems the way to go” to avoid collapses. It recommends, among other things, a requirement for geotechnical studies and systematic control missions at various stages of the construction process and the “deep restructuring” of the building materials sector.
In the meantime, at New Bell, despite the red paint markings of CUD teams prohibiting the occupation of “the building of death”, Raphael and the others continue to carry out their activities there. The red and white plastic tape supposed to condemn the main entrance quickly gave way. In the 1st arrondissement, in the heart of the city center, the basement of a multi-storey building whose construction is unfinished houses gaming rooms and a restaurant. The walls have many cracks. Despite the danger, men and women flock there. Here the deadly collapse of July already seems to be a distant memory.
