Physico-chemical quality and toxicity of wastewater from Katiola commune (North-Central Côte d’Ivoire)

In Africa in general and in Côte d’Ivoire in particular, the management of wastewater in the context of sanitation is devolved to cities and municipalities. Katiola commune is no exception. In fact, this municipality faces problems with wastewater management. The objective of this study is to evaluate the physicochemical quality and toxicity of wastewater from this municipality with a view to implementing an appropriate management method. Thus, surveys followed by field visits and wastewater sampling were carried out on six (06) sites. The data from the analyzes were compared to the guide values ​​of the WHO, France and Ivory Coast. The results reveal that populations dispose of wastewater using unconventional practices (90%). This wastewater is considerably mineralized (469 and 663 μS/cm), of domestic origin and easily biodegradable (biodegradability index equal to 2.49) with a normal pH. In terms of toxicology, Katiola wastewater is rich in lead (26.9 to 640 µg/L) and nickel (50 to 779.2 µg/L). As for pesticides, beta-endosulfan and endrin have concentrations lower than the limit value set by the French standard, thus meaning a low impact on humans and their environment.