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Environmental change has impacted water systems inducing groundwater pollution in the town of Cotonou, in Benin, West Africa. Accordingly, it is important to improve the understanding of the drinking water supply problem, focusing on key aspects of the pollution problem and alternative approaches to the provision of safe water for human consumption...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... town is located in the lowest coastal sandy plain of Benin, between 6°20' and 6°23' N. It is established on a site that is between 4 and 6 km long, formed by a succession of offshore bars, lagoons and marsh, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoue (Fig. 1). Its relatively flat topography has an altitude varying between 0.4 and 6.5 m (Fig. 2). Soils are generally sandy with 80% being coarse sand and having a porosity exceeding 40% and a water storage coefficient of 20% (Maliki, 1993). These characteristics facilitate water infiltration and the fast transfer of pollutants towards the main ...
Context 2
... 1998;Adékambi & Adamou, 2000;Boko, 2001;Guendehou, 2002;Ahoussinou, 2003;Konmy, 2005;Odoulami, 2009;Totin 2010a,b) was used to help to assemble data related to the problems of environmental change and water pollution in the town of Cotonou. In addition, data were available from groundwater samples collected through the town at various sites ( Fig. 1) selected on the basis of various criteria for environment health and the existence of a rubbish tip, proximity of the water supply point to waste or excreta disposal or latrine pits, human pressure on urban land, etc. These indicators of the risk of environmental pressure on groundwater supplies support identification of sites prone ...
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Citations
... The situation appears to be especially critical in Cotonou, Benin, where the hospitals involved in the study did not use any kind of wastewater treatment. Groundwater in the city is extracted from the shallow aquifer, which is polluted due to unauthorized waste deposits, inadequate toilets, pit latrines, and septic tanks prone to leakage and hydraulic failure (65). This enables the continuous circling of mcr genes and other ARGs as the inadequately treated water is released into natural waters and used for various purposes by local people. ...
Antibiotic resistance is a global threat to human health, with the most severe effect in low-and middle-income countries. We explored the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the hospital wastewater (HWW) of nine hospitals in Benin and Burkina Faso, two low-income countries in West Africa, with shotgun metagenomic sequencing. For comparison, we also studied six hospitals in Finland. The highest sum of the relative abundance of ARGs in the 68 HWW samples was detected in Benin and the lowest in Finland. HWW resistomes and mobilomes in Benin and Burkina Faso resembled each other more than those in Finland. Many carbapenemase genes were detected at various abundances, especially in HWW from Burkina Faso and Finland. The bla GES genes, the most widespread carbapenemase gene in the Beninese HWW, were also found in water intended for hand washing and in a puddle at a hospital yard in Benin. mcr genes were detected in the HWW of all three countries, with mcr-5 being the most common mcr gene. These and other mcr genes were observed in very high relative abundances, even in treated wastewater in Burkina Faso and a street gutter in Benin. The results highlight the importance of wastewater treatment, with particular attention to HWW. IMPORTANCE The global emergence and increased spread of antibiotic resistance threaten the effectiveness of antibiotics and, thus, the health of the entire population. Therefore, understanding the resistomes in different geographical locations is crucial in the global fight against the antibiotic resistance crisis. However, this information is scarce in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as those in West Africa. In this study, we describe the resistomes of hospital wastewater in Benin and Burkina Faso and, as a comparison, Finland. Our results help to understand the hitherto unrevealed resistance in Beninese and Burkinabe hospitals. Furthermore, the results emphasize the importance of wastewater management infrastructure design to minimize exposure events between humans, HWW, and the environment, preventing the circulation of resistant bacteria and ARGs between humans (hospitals and community) and the environment.
... Around 80% of the soil is sand with porosity over 40% and an infiltration capacity between 7% to 20% [48]. Additionally, the main feature of the soil in this city is the shallow aquifer 0-6 m below the ground level [49]. Consequently, the combination of shallow groundwater and the high infiltration rate of the soil makes the groundwater prone to being polluted during rainfall. ...
... Consequently, the combination of shallow groundwater and the high infiltration rate of the soil makes the groundwater prone to being polluted during rainfall. According to Amoussou et al. (2015), anthropological impacts, such as little distance between pit latrine and well as well as inadequate excreta disposal, put pressure on groundwater resources' quality [49]. Despite the critical situation of quality, the groundwater is the main source utilized to cover the city's water demands. ...
Despite the growing interest in implementing sponge cities (SPC), their potential is not yet being tapped in many fast-growing Sub-Saharan African cities. This is remarkable because SPC interventions can contribute considerably to increasing water safety and availability in a city. By means of a three-stage potential assessment, this study provides the first analysis of what concrete options can be identified for implementing the SPC concept in Sub-Saharan cities. The methodology was filled with information obtained especially from expert interviews, literature reviews, and satellite imagery. Thus, the analysis also considers what obstacles impede SPC implementation, and, in particular, what technical and socioeconomic constraints need to be taken into account. The cities of Hawassa (Ethiopia), Beira (Mozambique), Kigali (Rwanda), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and Cotonou (Benin) are examined in detail. Additionally, a local SPC implementation was conceptualized and evaluated for two districts in Ouagadougou and Cotonou. The first finding is that, when geographical and socioeconomic aspects such as climatic patterns, migration flows, health risks, and existing infrastructure are sufficiently taken into account, SPC interventions would massively help African cities to mitigate current and urgent challenges such as water scarcity and urban flooding. In terms of water safety, the second key finding is that rainwater harvesting solutions at the household level could be implemented quickly; however, there would be substantial difficulties such as lack of financing and maintenance as well as claims of ownership, especially in informal settlements and slums. Thus, it seems quite promising to directly strive for a rapid “centralization” of SPC implementation in individual neighborhoods. This neighborhood approach paves the way for SPC measures to receive public acceptance and constant maintenance. When this mosaic of implementations comes together, many individual instances of SPC implementation can help to improve urban resilience and living conditions for the city dwellers as is here demonstrated for the districts in Cotonou and Ouagadougou.
... Higher concentrations of bacteria in well water (Totin et al. 2013;Soncy et al. 2015) are related to poor sanitation and unhygienic practices which induce the recharge of shallow aquifers with wastewater thereby contaminating them. The deterioration of groundwater quality, however, depends on the physical properties of the environment as well as the climatic context. ...
The paper explores how a project implemented in the framework of the LIRA2030 Africa programme is contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on water, sanitation and health in the West African coastal cities of Cotonou (Benin) and Lomé (Togo). Based on co-produced knowledge on water, sanitation and health risks, collected through a transdisciplinary approach, we investigated socio-ecological sanitation and the applicability of an Ecohealth model to support SDGs 3, 6 and 11. According to our findings, the basis for the achievement of SDGs in these cities lies in addressing bad sanitation and hygiene related to a linear urban metabolism, poor groundwater quality and the occurrence of health risks (malaria, gastroenteritis, diarrheal). In this regard, the projects contributed by developing socioecological sanitation facilities for groundwater quality improvement and protection and for health risk reduction. An Ecohealth model was also developed to help improve and maintain the quality of groundwater in the study cities to promote healthy living and for sustainability. Social impacts of the SDG achievement could really help in sustainable development and the well-being in the coastal West African cities.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest global threats to human health, but substantial gaps in AMR data exist in West African countries. To obtain in-depth data, we explored the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the hospital wastewaters (HWW) of nine hospitals in Benin and Burkina Faso and, for comparison, of four hospitals in Finland. The highest total relative abundance of ARGs in HWWs was observed in Benin and the lowest in Finland. HWW resistomes were more similar to each other in Benin and Burkina Faso than in Finland. Different clinically relevant carbapenemases were detected in varying abundances, especially in HWWs from Burkina Faso and Finland. The most widespread carbapenemase gene in the Beninese hospitals, bla GES, was also found in water used for handwashing. bla NDM was present in the HWW of one Beninese hospital and was also detected in the stools of a hospitalized patient. Mobile colistin ARGs were detected in the HWWs of all the three studied countries, with mcr-5 variants being the most common. These and other mcr genes were observed in very high abundance in treated wastewater released into rivers in Burkina Faso. In Benin, only little is done to treat wastewaters, including HWWs. The results provide evidence for public health decision-makers in Benin and Burkina Faso for the dire need to increase wastewater treatment capacity, with particular attention to HWWs.
Synopsis
Metagenomic analysis of HWWs revealed high abundances of ARGs and their potential transmission to other environments in Benin and Burkina Faso.
