L'étude porte sur l'évaluation de la qualité des eaux domestiques et leurs effets sur la santé de la population dans le village Babessi, Nord-Ouest Cameroun, en se basant sur les normes établies par l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé. Dans les zones rurales du Cameroun où les réseaux publiques de distribution d'eau sont inexistants, la population consomme les eaux d'origine diverses de caractéristiques inconnues. Trente échantillons d'eau d'un puits et de quatre rivières des quartiers Mbezoh, Ntuoncho, Ndokeba, Chui et Chumanda ont été analysés au mois de janvier et aout 2015 pour certains paramètres physiques, chimiques et bactériologiques, en utilisant les méthodes standard. Les résultats ont indiqué que ces eaux étaient faiblement acides en août (pH entre 5,5 et 6,2), faiblement minéralisées (conductivité électrique entre 28,2 et 280 µS/cm) et fortement turbides (turbidité entre 9,9 et 236 UNT). Tous les ions majeurs répondaient aux normes. Néanmoins, le chrome et fer étaient fortement concentrés dans presque tous les échantillons au mois de janvier (0,14 à 0,34 mg/l et de 0,26 à 3,26 mg/l respectivement) de même que le Plomb en août dans le puits de Mbezoh (0,08 mg/l) et la rivière de Ndokebah (0,38 mg/l). Sur l'aspect bactériologique, les eaux étaient fortement polluées. Tous les échantillons contenaient les formes fécales d'entérobactères, de Escherichia coli, de streptocoque, de salmonelle, de shigelle et de staphylocoque. La mauvaise qualité de ces eaux était justifiée par la prédominance des infections d'origine hydrique dans ce village notamment la thyphoïde, la diarrhée et la dysenterie. Les analyses statistiques ont révélé des différences significatives dans la variation de certains paramètres ainsi que de fortes corrélations entre ces derniers. La forte présence des bactéries et la non-conformité de certains paramètres pouvaient être attribuées aux activités agricoles, l'élevage, le mauvais entretien et certains phénomènes naturels. L'urgente attention accordée à l'entretien des points d'eau et un traitement adéquat de l'eau à domicile avant consommation sont nécessaires.

This study investigated the quality of ground water in Baba I, NorthWest Cameroon, in order to determine its suitability for domestic uses following World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Inhabitants of this locality consume water from these sources without any prior treatment which can lead to health problems if the water sources are contaminated. Six water sources were sampled in November 2017, January, April and July 2018 and examined for organoleptic, physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters using standard methods. Results of organoleptic and physical parameters showed that most of the sources were within the WHO acceptable limits with pH varying from moderately acidic to weakly basic. Chemical properties revealed that all the analysed ions were found within the WHO guidelines and the water sources ranged from soft (hardness < 60 mg/L) to moderately hard (60 mg/L ≤ hardness ≤ 120 mg/l), with iron slightly exceeding the WHO guideline value of 0.3 mg/L in the well of Kwebessi (Wkw) in November 2017 and July 2018. Piper's trilinear diagrams showed that the analysed waters were calcium and magnesium bicarbonate type. Small to average seasonal influences were observed in the variations of temperature and the concentrations of Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , NO − 3 , and NH + 4 (p < 0.05). Faecal coliforms and specific bacteria namely: Escherichia coli, Enterobacter, Streptococcus, Salmonella and Shigella spp, were identified in all the sampled waters, suggesting recent contamination of the sources by human or animal faeces. The sources were unfit for domestic uses and thus, exposed the local population to water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea and dysentery. Hence, home treatment methods such as chlorination, filtration, boiling and solar disinfection should be implemented prior to consumption.

This research focused on the quality of domestic water in Bangolan, Northwest Cameroon, in order to ascertain its potability based on World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Inhabitants of this locality, as well as others in rural areas, consume water from these sources without any prior treatment which can lead to contamination and infections. Sampling was conducted, and physicochemical and bacteriological properties of ten water sources were examined in November 2017 and January, April, and July 2018 using standard methods. The results showed that the sampled water sources were moderately acidic to weakly basic falling within the WHO specification. The values of electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids were low, suggesting low mineralised waters which could lead to a shortage of essential mineral elements in humans. Water turbidity was high in July, attributable to the rains. Major ions analysed fell within the WHO guideline values except iron and aluminium, whose values fell above guideline values in both seasons due to the nature of the soils. Faecal coliforms were found in all the sources, and specific bacteria identified were Escherichia coli, Enterobacteria, Streptococcus, Salmonella, and Shigella spp., suggesting recent contamination by faecal matter due to poor hygienic conditions, and hence, treatment was recommended. Statistical analyses revealed significant influence of heavy rains on most water parameters (p<0.05). Health data in the locality revealed 1389 cases of water-borne diseases, namely, typhoid, diarrhoea, and dysentery between 2016 and 2017 necessitating control.

This study assessed some physicochemical and trace element properties of soils and Zea mays from farmed dumpsites in the Bamenda metropolis, North-West Cameroon. The growth in population and metal workshops in Bamenda has resulted in the dumping of large quantities of wastes on agricultural soils. Thus, the fear of these agricultural soils and crops being contaminated by waste dumped on them is a call for concern because most of the populations rely on agriculture for survival. A soil and Zea mays sample each was collected from three farmed dumpsites (Nkwen, Mankon, and Bamendakwe) in the Bamenda metropolis and analyzed for physicochemical and trace element properties using standard procedures. The results of physicochemical analysis revealed that the soils had pH values ranging from 5.63 to 7.49, average organic matter, low total nitrogen, high C/N ratio, and high CEC, and the soil textural class was clay loam for soils of Nkwen and sandy loam for soils of Mankon and Bamendakwe. The content of bases in Zea mays was high compared to those in the soil. The concentration of Fe (14635.6 µg/g) in soils of Bamendakwe and Cu (157.17 µg/g) and Zn (1438.36 µg/g) in soils of Mankon had values which were above the permissible limit. The concentration of Zn (114.48 µg/g) in the plant sample of Mankon together with the concentration of Fe in all three plant samples had values above permissible limits. Natural origins and domestic waste were identified as the major sources of trace metals in the soils. Thus, there are potential health hazards related to consuming crops from such soils. Bioremediation techniques can be used to recover heavy metals from such soils. Furthermore, the mobilization of nutrient ions and immobilization of heavy metals by induced liming could be important in sustainable agricultural production and soil environmental protection of the soils studied.