Water Resource Management in the Mandara Mountains: Inventory of the Diversion Bays and Impact of Good Practice in Land Use Planning

This study aims to assess the status of diversion bays in the communes of Bourha, Koza, Mogodé, Mokolo, Mozogo, and Soulédé-Roua, located in the Mandara Mountains. The methodological approach is based on documentary research, interviews, observation, surveys, and the use of attributes and spatial data. The data were collected via Kobo collect tools, processed using Excel, and specialized with Google Earth and QGIS. The results reveal that among the 736 diversion bays studied, 63.3% no longer exist, and only 36.7% are in good condition. Furthermore, 77.8% of the remaining structures are damaged, primarily due to erosion and poor management. Moreover, 33.1% of the Human-Powered Pumps (HPP) used for drinking water supply are non-functional, exacerbating the water crisis in these areas. Despite efforts by local and international stakeholders, the failure of infrastructure has significant socio-economic repercussions, forcing populations to travel long distances to access water, which is often unsafe for consumption. To address these challenges, integrated approaches such as Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and innovative civil engineering and agroecological techniques have been implemented.