Level of Bacteriological and Physicochemical Pollution of Surface Waters in Rural Area: The Case of Mbankomo Municipality (Center Region, Cameroon)

Abstract

A study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of surface water was therefore carried out in a few watercourses in the municipality of Mbankomo, located in the Center Region (Cameroon). The physico-chemical parameters were measured according to the standard method. The organic pollution index (OPI) was determined from the contents of nitrates, phosphates, and ammoniacal nitrogen to characterize the level of organic pollution of the water. The microorganisms sought were total flora, indicators of faecal contamination like total coliforms, faecal coliforms, feacal streptococci and Escherichia coli, as well as the species Clostridium perfringens. The organic pollution index indicates a high-level organic pollution level during the small rainy season and high to moderate during the small dry season. High concentrations of the total and fecal coliforms, streptococci fecal, Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens respectively of 1712 × 10 5 CFU/100mL; 82 × 10 5 CFU/100mL; 10 × 10 5 CFU/100mL; 27 × 10 5 and 40 × 10 3 CFU/100mL, all higher than WHO standards, indicate that the waterways of Mbankomo are subject to feacal pollution and harbor pathogenic micro-