The Menchum River and its tributaries drains a large area of the Northwest Region of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. It in turn is a tributary of the Benue River in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Location

The Menchum, Donga and Katsina Ala rivers all flow west from the Northeast Region to join the Benue in Nigeria. The Menchum drains the Oku-Kom highlands, which have an elevation of around

Lake Oku Lake Oku is a crater lake on the Bamenda Plateau in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is located at on Mount Oku, and is completely surrounded by cloud forest. The lake lies in an explosion crater formed in the last phase of development of ...

, falling to about at Mbonkissu to the west of Fundong. The highlands, formed by volcanic action, have been dissected by steep valleys carved out by fast-flowing streams.

Hydroelectric potential

The Menchum Falls, about 20 km south of Wum and 30 km north of Bafut, are impressive and a potential tourist attraction. However, the access road is very rough, and the viewing site is not well maintained. A 2003 guide stated that the road was virtually impassable in the rainy season. On 7 September 2009, Agreenergy and the Government of Cameroon signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a project to build a dam and 90MW hydroelectric power plant on the river. Apart from bringing electricity and jobs, the project would involve surfacing the road. On 8 December 2010 President

Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.

announced plans to construct a dam on the Menchum Falls. The Menchum Falls have political significance in the ongoing

Anglophone Crisis The Anglophone Crisis (), also known as the Ambazonia War or the Cameroonian Civil War, is an ongoing civil war in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. Following the suppression of the ...

Ambazonia Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost ...

n separatist movements plan on damming the Menchum Falls after independence to not only gain electricity self-sufficiency for their new country, but also to export to Cameroon and Nigeria.Ekah, Ekah Robert. "The Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon: A Geopolitical Analysis."

Environmental issues

The rich volcanic soils in the highlands have attracted farmers and grazers, and the resulting land clearances have made the area vulnerable to soil erosion. The Menchum Valley is low-lying, and used to be covered in equatorial forests. These have mostly been cleared for their timber, leaving open grassland that is used for grazing, and is subject to erosion on the slopes. Efforts are being made to reforest the valley.

References

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Menchum River The Menchum River and its tributaries drains a large area of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It in turn is a tributary of the Benue River in Nigeria. Location The Menchum, Donga and Katsina Ala rivers all flow west from the Northeast Regio ...