conception and design of a drainage system at the kumba main market

CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Kumba is one of the fast-developing towns in the southwest region of Cameroon. It is a metropolitan city found in Meme Division in the Southwest Region, popularly referred to as K.town the green city.

Being the most developed, and largest city in Meme Division, Kumba has attracted people from neighbouring villages like Mbonge, EkondoTiti etc. and neighbouring Nigeria amongst others.

Kumba has an estimated October 2021population of about 400.000 inhabitants (with about ¾ of this population being within the youthful age group. The increase in population is a result of a decrease in infant mortality rate due to improvement in infant health care, and an increase in migrations (Rural-Urban) since the N8 and N16 highways meet at Kumba.

It is located between latitude 3º and 4º North of the Equator and between longitude 9º and 10º East of the Greenwich Meridian (see figure1 below). The site of the research is located at the Kumba main market, precisely the back park, tomatoes and timberline areas to study a drainage system for these areas.1(Uploaded by the department of town planning Kumba city council October 2021)
Drainage is an important element of physical infrastructure and constitutes the removal and disposal of rain and wastewater from the land. It has two aspects namely flood protection and removal of stormwater.

The landscape of Kumba has an extremely gentle gradient that spreads almost all over the quarters and restricts the degradation activities of the streams/drains it is; therefore, necessary to plan the drainage system.

The Topography, rainfall intensity, soil characteristics, irrigation methods, crops and vegetative cover are important factors in deciding the type and design of a drainage system. Since the urban expansion is inevitable, increased runoff would require remodelling of the existing drains as well as provisions of new/supplementary drains. Implementation of appropriate flood protection measures, protection of natural drainage course, improved groundwater recharge, and other environmental improvement measures such as prevention of sewer flows into the storm drains, pollution of Kumba water etc. The provision of an appropriate drainage system in the Kumba main market is a call of concern.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
The Kumba main market is an economic life wire for the population of this Municipality as most of the inhabitants depend on the business. The market has a serious problem of the poor drainage system.

The project we are about to carry out is on the drainage system at the Kumba main market with the case study being the back park, tomatoes, and timberlines.

During the rainy and dry seasons, the Kumba main market is not accessible due to the presence of large pod holes which are a result of stagnant water found in various places (see figures2, 3 and 4 below) which is causing floods during a heavy downpour of rain and providing a breeding place for most parasites which are detrimental to the health of those selling and buying around these areas and also depriving the buildings in these areas from their design purposes.
However, it is with these and other reasons that we chose to carry out THE CONCEPTION AND DESIGN OF A DRAINAGE SYSTEM AT THE KUMBA MAIN MARKET case study back park, tomatoes and timberline areas

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION

– Where is the drainage system to be realized?

– How can one contribute to improving the condition of those buying and selling in the market?

– What materials will be used for the construction of the drainage system in this area of the market?

1.4 GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

• To ameliorate the drainage system and sanitary condition of the Kumba main market as a whole, and the back park, tomatoes and timberlines in particular.

1.5 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• To assess the existing condition and problems related to the stormwater drainage system at the Kumba main market
• To assess the hydraulic performance of the existing drainage system in this area.
• For the conception and design of a drainage system at the Kumba main market case study back park, tomatoes and timberline areas.