ASSESSMENT OF THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF DRINKING WATER FROM CEMENTED WELLS AND MINI DRINKING-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS IN AWARIDI VILLAGE, DIFFA, NIGER

Drinking-water quality is a critical determinant of public health, particularly where groundwater is the main source of supply. This study assessed the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of water from five drinking-water facilities in Awaridi village, Diffa, Niger: two cemented wells (PC1 and PC2), two boreholes (F1 and F2), and one mini drinking-water supply system (Mini-AEP). One analytical observation per facility is reported (n=5). Physicochemical parameters were measured in situ and in the laboratory using the procedures described in Rodier et al. (2009) and spectrophotometric methods, while bacteriological analyses used membrane filtration of 100 mL samples. The measured physicochemical values were generally within the comparison values used in this study (pH 6.65-7.88; electrical conductivity 316-449 uS/cm; total hardness 40-192 mg/L as CaCO3). In contrast, bacteriological contamination was detected in the sampled facilities: total coliforms ranged from 0 to 200 CFU/100 mL (mean 94 CFU/100 mL) and fecal coliforms from 50 to 150 CFU/100 mL (mean 98 CFU/100 mL). Using the Nigerien reference criteria for wells and boreholes, 80% of the observations were non-compliant for total coliforms and 100% for fecal coliforms.