Rapid urbanization and proper urban planning are two variables in the equation of environmental stability. In Bamenda municipality these have been moving in opposite directions. This indicates the lopsidedness in which the problems of urban planning and urban development, masterminded by urbanization have been handled over time. This paper therefore examines the pattern of urbanization and urban development in the Bamenda area, with respect to the implication on the hydrology, geomorphology and sustainable urban space management. The study made use of primary and secondary sources to collect the necessary data. The results show that Bamenda started experiencing a rapid rate of urbanisation and urban development from the 1980s. This forced many people especially the poor to reside in cheap marginal areas which naturally constitute the pathways for catastrophic hydrological and geomorphological phenomena. Although these hazards originate from natural systems and mechanisms, anthropogenic modifications spearheaded by urbanisation have reinforced the frequency and magnitude of certain hazards like floods and landslides. In order to mitigate these hydro-geomorphologic problems, the study recommends the development of an alternative land use system on occupied slopes and flood plains, the creation of levees and the construction of adequate storm drains.

Community-based projects play an important role in developing countries' efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving the population without access to improved water sources. Often associated with rural communities, they are increasingly being implemented in urban areas, where rural community-based management practices may be unsuitable. This research examines a small community-managed water supply scheme in Buea, a rapidly growing urban area in Cameroon. Stakeholder interviews and household questionnaires were used to better understand the implications of urbanisation on community-managed water supply projects. The urban context adds management and planning pressures because of larger, more diverse, populations and rapid population growth. Urban community-managed schemes require an institutional framework to encourage participation, which is at an increased risk of failure due to the urban context. Finally, urban community-managed schemes need to be implemented in an institutional context where they have legitimacy in the urban water supply framework, thereby allowing them to have access to the institutional and technical support they require to function sustainably. The consequence of failure is a return to "unimproved" water sources.

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It is indeed a paradox that even with favourable natural endowments such as fertile soils and abundant surface water resources, some rural communities and regions still reflect major levels of poverty, food insufficiency, limited water supplies and water-related health problems. To ensure stability in food production and sustain food sufficiency in areas where local economies entirely depend on farming and the natural state of the environment, it is important to investigate the indications and implications of environmental degradation. Through the application of relevant field methods for data acquisition and analyses, the paper examines and proposes recommendation where ….. of the degradation of the Bamendjin Catchment area, which is located within the fertile volcanic province of the North West Region of Cameroon. The results reveal that poor land use have ushered in profound degradation of this watershed. This paper also provides the tools needed to improve on the perception and attitude of the inhabitants towards the exploitation of this watershed and their local environment in general.

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