Abstract
Within the framework of the contract of Sourou River, a survey of the groundwater quality was performed through 7 campaigns of water sampling and analysis from 2006 till 2012. The water samples resulted from 23 drillings and 9 wells located in the Sourou Valley. Among the analyzed physico-chemical parameters, the nitrates concentrations observed were worrisome. Out of 32 water sources, 14 (44%) supplied a nitrates content superior to the WHO threshold value for drinking water (50 mg NO3/L). Very high concentrations, superior to 500 mg NO3/L with a peak in 860 mg/L, were observed. Given the important variations observed from a sampling point to another, a generalized contamination of the total aquifer was not possible. An individual diagnosis allowed to identify the possible causes of this degradation. Several sources of contamination, in connection with the anthropological activities, were observed near the water facilities (drillings/wells): animal and human wild defecation, presence of nontight latrines, solid waste, wastewater discharges. It is also advisable to wonder about the impact of the dynamite use for digging wells, this one being able to leave nitrates in the water. With regard to the intensive use of water from the strongly contaminated wells and drillings by the rural populations of Sourou, implementing protection areas within which would be eliminated the sources of contamination in addition to health education among populations could improve the situation. Care should also be taken in the use of nitrates explosives for digging new wells or drillings.
Highlights
According to the United Nations Development Program [1], access to safe drinking water in Burkina Faso clearly improved these years with a national rate of water access passed from 18.3% in 1993 to 66.3% in 2007
These good performances are the consequence of the efforts undertaken by the country to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) knowing that water access constitutes a lever of development and a mean to fight against poverty
The average nitrates contents observed during the whole campaigns are presented in Tables 2 and 3 for drillings and wells
Summary
According to the United Nations Development Program [1], access to safe drinking water in Burkina Faso clearly improved these years with a national rate of water access passed from 18.3% in 1993 to 66.3% in 2007. These good performances are the consequence of the efforts undertaken by the country to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) knowing that water access constitutes a lever of development and a mean to fight against poverty. Who has not met these drillings installed within the framework of cooperative projects and which, after a few years of operation, break down and aren’t repaired?
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