Although water is a basic human right, it is also essential for achieving sustainable development and poverty
alleviation. The economic cost of water crisis can be very severe for women in low income societies whose
activities revolve around water, ranging from domestic to economic needs. This paper looks at the water
situation of a rapidly growing town, Buea, in the SW Region of Cameroon, and how it poses a challenge to
women’s socio-economic efforts. The results presented are based on analysis of field data collected from 177
water users and stakeholders of the study area through a stratified random sampling technique and analyzed with
the help of SPSS and Epi softwares. Findings reveal that the water crisis in Buea is human- induced and women
are the most affected because their socioeconomic lives are highly dependent on water. While this situation
directly affects the quality/quantity of water, and the amount of time women spend on water collection, it also
has far-reaching implications on the socio-economic welfare of the municipality.