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La Constitution camerounaise
| Fire On The Mountain! |
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| Écrit par Cameroon Tribune |
| Vendredi, 27 Août 2010 15:44 |
 « Fire on the mountain » is the title of a usual childhood song youngsters shouted in the years of yore each time they found themselves under a threat of fire. However, at that time the difference was that the fire was perceived to be sufficiently kept at bay and, consequently, unable to inflict any immediate harm. But fire disasters have recently come to our doorsteps around the whole country. In the past few years, citizens thought a fire break-out only concerned some far-off folks. Today, it is a shared fear across the land. Just inside this year 2010 some half-dozen localities have suffered from the scourges of fire. And markets and other common-use facilities seem to be the target. Yaounde, Douala, Bamenda, Garoua, Bafoussam and Tiko have lately taken their turns with some having more than one fire incident within months. Just weeks ago, the Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation was in Tiko. In company of the city’s mayor, he walked over the ashes of the once burgeoning Tiko market which had been razed down, leaving distraught shop owners with only their wounds to leak. In these infernos, hundreds, if not thousands of millions of valuable CFA francs are lost. And at these very difficult moments when cash is hard to come by, it is even more difficult to fathom the distress thrown on these traders. Successive policies by local councils as well as initiatives by the central government in Yaounde have so far proven inadequate in addressing the question of these recurrent fires. Coming to the rescue of victims such as has been observed in several situations has proven useful only in addressing the immediate-term needs of the victims. It is becoming increasingly urgent to try solutions that are more long-lasting. But before making any postulations on the possible solutions to the problem, it is necessary to revisit some of the causes that have usually been identified as being at the origin of these fires; In many cases it has been reported that prospective traders hurriedly put up make-shift structures in areas identified for installing markets by municipal authorities without due inspection and approval by such authorities; others out-rightly disregard building rules whereas others put up electrical installations without the approval of the electrical supply bodies; electronic equipment is installed without any regard for minimum safety considerations while many construct in areas where there is no access to water or even when water exists, it is difficult to ferry it to where it is needed in times of emergency. In this hotchpotch of activity depicted in market settings across the country, it is easily understandable that fires should be so ruthless as has been the case with the most recent cases in mind being those of Yaounde (Elig-Effa) a few days ago and Bertoua last Monday.{module Publicité 300_250|none} But should our municipal authorities and other law-enforcement agencies remain as morose as they have been seen to be while hard-earned money, houses, assets and other belongings go down the drain in these furious fires? In numerous instances, some of these authorities have only passively denounced some of the shortcomings which repeatedly cause fires, such as rickety electrical installations and the very poor or inadequate surveillance of market areas. Oftentimes, they have justified their apathy on the need to maintain social peace by not stirring the hornet’s nest as it were. But the toll these fires are taking are clearly not proportionate to the so-called social peace we enjoy in return for this state of affairs. Moreover, palpable results have been obtained in other areas where the municipal authorities and government showed greater resolve in tackling a social issue which, at the outset, seemed difficult to solve. The removal of moto-taxis or “okadas” from the major streets of Yaounde and Douala seemed difficult at the beginning. But with some firmness, the authorities have succeeded in getting them off the streets, making traffic flow a lot easier. This latest fire incident observed in Bertoua three days ago is definitely one too many and ought to provide the occasion for the authorities to tackle the situation with the seriousness it deserves. It is a veritable fire alert situation we are into. And the horns must be blown. |