DOMESTIC WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE ZANZAN AND LYCEE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF BONDOUKOU, COTE D IVOIRE

Rapid and often unplanned urbanisation makes domestic wastewater management a major environmental and publichealth concern in secondary towns in Cote d Ivoire. This study examined household wastewater practices and residents’ perceptions of associated environmental and health concerns in the Zanzan and Lycee neighbourhoods of Bondoukou. It combined a household questionnaire (200 households; 100 in each neighbourhood), interviews with local institutional stakeholders, field observations, and GIS-based mapping. The survey found that 33% of households in Zanzan and 7% in Lycee reported having a drainage system, while discharge into streets was reported by 57% and 53%, respectively. Stagnant water, perceived pollution, and unpleasant odours were reported; 43% of respondents in Lycee reported water-related diseases, whereas none in Zanzan reported such diseases. These are self reported perceptions and are not clinical evidence that wastewater caused disease.In both neighbourhoods, 77% of respondents reported no sanitation - awareness activity. Infrastructure was the leading improvement priority (62% in Zanzan and 65% in Lycee). The study provides a local diagnostic to support sanitation planning, while its cross-sectional, self-reported data and limited spatial analysis mean that environmental contamination and disease causality cannot be established.