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Article

Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

by
Oumar Traoré
1,2,*,
Dissinviel Stéphane Kpoda
3,
René Dembélé
1,2,
Courage Kosi Setsoafia Saba
4,
Johannes Cairns
5,6,
Nicolas Barro
2 and
Kaisa Haukka
7,*
1
Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies (UFR/SAT), Université de Dédougou, Dédougou BP 76, Burkina Faso
2
Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire d’Epidémiologie et de Surveillance des Bactéries et Virus Transmis par Les Aliments, CRSBAN/Département de Biochimie-Microbiologie, UFR/SVT-Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou 03 BP 7021, Burkina Faso
3
Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Biotechnologie Microbienne, Centre Universitaire Polytechnique de Ziniaré, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou 03 BP 7021, Burkina Faso
4
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biosciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale P.O. Box TL 1882, Ghana
5
Department of Computer Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
6
Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
7
Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2023, 15(21), 3734; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213734
Submission received: 29 August 2023 / Revised: 18 October 2023 / Accepted: 24 October 2023 / Published: 26 October 2023
(This article belongs to the Topic Groundwater Pollution Control and Groundwater Management)

Abstract

Ouagadougou is a city with three million inhabitants and an increasing demand for water of sufficient quality. New boreholes are drilled to match demand, but their protection from anthropogenic contamination is insufficient. To assess the quality of urban groundwater in Ouagadougou for the first time, a total of 32 borehole water samples were collected and assessed for bacteriological and physicochemical features using established methods. Health risk inspections and hazard assessments were undertaken at sampling sites to identify potential hazards and contributing factors. Statistical analysis was used to identify associations between risk factors and water pollution. The study revealed poor quality of groundwater in Ouagadougou with major nonconformities related to total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and turbidity. Water samples from 19 boreholes (59%) were contaminated with coliforms, and 11 (34%) with E. coli. Additionally, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus, and anaerobic sulphite-reducing bacterial spores were detected. Deviations from physicochemical quality requirements were observed for water turbidity, pH, nitrate, fluorine, and iron. Risk analysis showed the major high-risk practices to be sludge spreading or having a garbage heap, a latrine, a septic tank, or dirty water near a borehole. Based on these results, for public health protection, authorities must take strict measures to prohibit such practices around these important sources of drinking water in Ouagadougou.
Keywords: groundwater; boreholes; microbiological quality; physicochemical quality; risk factors; Africa groundwater; boreholes; microbiological quality; physicochemical quality; risk factors; Africa
Graphical Abstract

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MDPI and ACS Style

Traoré, O.; Kpoda, D.S.; Dembélé, R.; Saba, C.K.S.; Cairns, J.; Barro, N.; Haukka, K. Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Water 2023, 15, 3734. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213734

AMA Style

Traoré O, Kpoda DS, Dembélé R, Saba CKS, Cairns J, Barro N, Haukka K. Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Water. 2023; 15(21):3734. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213734

Chicago/Turabian Style

Traoré, Oumar, Dissinviel Stéphane Kpoda, René Dembélé, Courage Kosi Setsoafia Saba, Johannes Cairns, Nicolas Barro, and Kaisa Haukka. 2023. "Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso" Water 15, no. 21: 3734. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213734

APA Style

Traoré, O., Kpoda, D. S., Dembélé, R., Saba, C. K. S., Cairns, J., Barro, N., & Haukka, K. (2023). Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Water, 15(21), 3734. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213734

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