Combined Analysis of Chemical and Microbiological Contamination of Drinking Water from the Agboville Distribution Network (Côte d’Ivoire)

This study aims to assess the quality of physico-chemical and microbiological water from the faucet to Agboville to identify the main factors of contamination. Samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of the treatment plant as well as in different points of the distribution network, and then analyzed according to the standard methods of the AFNOR. On the chemical level, the results indicate a quality that is generally in line with the WHO guideline values (2017) for the parameters studied, with the exception of nitrite and the index of permanganate, whose concentrations exceed the recommended threshold values. Higher grades in ammonium, nitrites and nitrates have been identified in some neighborhoods, including the station and the police. From a microbiological point of view, the water at the exit of the station has a good quality (12.49 % of the samples), while 33.32 % of the samples of the network are considered to be of poor-quality and 54.19 % of very poor quality. The statistical analysis reveals strong negative correlations between the bacterial loads and concentrations of residual chlorine, suggesting that the low chlorine content and order of distance from the treatment plant, are determining factors in the microbial degradation.