The present study assesses the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of\nthe drinking water used by the population of So-Ava based on the Beninese\nstandards and those established by the World Health Organization (WHO).\nIn rural and peri-urban areas of Benin where public water supply systems are\ninadequate or almost non-existent, the population consumes water of various\nsources of unknown qualities. A total of 67 water samples were analyzed during\nthe rainy season (July 2017) and in the dry season (January 2018) for certain\nphysical, chemical and bacteriological parameters using the standard\nmethods. The results of the analyses reveal that the physicochemical characteristics\nof the water used for consumption in So-Ava comply with the drinking\nwater standards of the World Health Organization and those in force in\nBenin except for the percentages of the following parameters: pH (41.80%);\nturbidity (25.37%); the color (16.42); ammonium (17.91%); iron (40.30%);\nNitrites (4.48%); Residual chlorine (91.05). Bacteriologically, the analyses\nshowed a high total aerobic mesophilic flora contamination, faecal coliforms,\nE. coli , faecal enterococci respectively in 89.55%, 82.09%, 50.75% and 70.15%\nof the analyzed water samples. The ratio of faecal coliforms to faecal enterococci\nindicated that the origin of faecal contamination was human in 59.7% of\nthe samples and animal in 40.3% of the samples. The adoption of hygiene\nmeasures at the water point, during the transport and storage of water, including\nthe treatment by chlorination of drinking water at the family level was\nrecommended for the population concerned and household awareness on the adoption of basic hygiene and sanitation measures have been recommended for hygiene and sanitation services.
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