Computer-Based Modeling of Impacts of <i>Prunus africana</i> on Groundwater in Northwestern Cameroon

Abstract

The community of Ntisaw in Northwestern Cameroon originally partnered with the Engineers Without Borders chapter at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008 to design a gravity-fed distribution network for an existing groundwater source. The system, which was completed in 2012, continues to provide year-round access to clean water via public tapstands placed at convenient locations throughout the village, thereby reducing the time and labor needed to carry water and the threat of waterborne disease. However, the source itself is still at risk from contamination from cattle fecal matter. To ensure the water remains clean, the community has completed construction of a wood and barbed wire fence around the catchment area. In partnership with Agence Nationale d’Appui au devloppement FORestier (ANAFOR), the Cameroonian forestry agency, Ntisaw has also begun planting a grove of