Poor wastewater management that results from a lack of appropriate sanitation infrastructure contributes to increasing health risks in urban areas in Côte d’Ivoire. We assessed the health risks associated with the use of wastewater for watering salad destined for human consumption, to help local authorities in developing appropriate risk mitigation measures for Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Côte d’Ivoire. We applied a stochastic approach based on quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA), focusing on wastewater for farming activities and salad consumption at the household level. Farming activities rely on a large degree on contaminated water and are conducted without any protection. The QMRA highlights that the poor quality of watering water increased the microbiological risk of the two assessed groups of urban farmers and individual households. The annual risk of infection due to watering wastewater in the city is estimated at 0.01 per person per year (pppy) for Giardia lamblia and 0.2 pppy for Escherichia coli O157:H7. The annual risk from salad consumption is 0.01 pppy for G. lamblia and 0.9 pppy for E. coli O157:H7. Both the annual risks from farming activities and salad consumption were higher than the tolerable standard of risk of 10⁻⁴ pppy as defined by the World Health Organization. There is a need to conduct a risk analysis and a cost-effectiveness study on intervention to improve public health and the livelihoods of the producers which are women in majority in Yamoussoukro.

In rural settings of Côte d’Ivoire, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at schools is often lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the availability, quality, and use of WASH infrastructure in schools in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire, and to determine the hygiene practices of schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 20 primary schools with (n = 10) or without (n = 10) direct access to drinking water. The survey was comprised of a questionnaire directed at schoolchildren aged 8–17 years, an assessment of the WASH infrastructure, and the testing of drinking water samples for Escherichia coli and total coliforms. Overall, 771 schoolchildren were enrolled in the study. One out of four children (24.9%) reported that they used available toilets. Among those children not using toilets, more than half (57.5%) reported that they practised open defecation. Drinking water infrastructure was limited in most schools because of poor storage tanks, the low flow of water, or broken wells. All drinking water samples (n = 18) tested positive for total coliforms and 15 (83.3%) tested positive for E. coli. The lack of WASH infrastructures in primary schools in the south-central part of Côte d’Ivoire, in combination with poor hygiene practices, might govern disease transmission and absenteeism at school, especially among females.

Despite efforts at the national and international levels to mitigate adverse effects of climate change on the environment and human health in developing countries, there is still a paucity of data and information concerning stakeholder’s engagement and their level of collaboration, responses and assistance in West Africa. This study aimed at assessing the perception of institutional stakeholders and limitations on coping strategies in flooding risk management in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Lomé (Togo). Using a transdisciplinary framework, the methodological approach basically relied on qualitative data collected through desk review and key informant interviews with various stakeholders, covering a range of topics related to flooding risk. Findings show that flooding experiences cause serious environmental and health problems to populations. Poor hygiene practices and contacts with contaminated water are the main causes of risks. Collaboration between stakeholders is limited, reducing the efficiency of planned interventions. Furthermore, health risk prevention strategies are still inadequately developed and implemented. Findings also show limited capacities of affected and displaced people to cope and plan for their activities. Engaging various stakeholders in the health risk prevention plans is likely to improve the efficiency of coping strategies in flooding risk management in West Africa.

Flooding increases with climate variabilities and results in health risk factors in urban settings with poor sanitation infrastructure. Expert previsions highlight that by 2030, climate change and change in land-use will increase waterborne disease transmissions. However, there are few assessments of the indirect impacts of flooding, such as waterborne pathogens and zoonoses. This research aimed at assessing flooding-related disease transmission patterns in two municipalities (Abobo and Cocody) of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. The study applied a cross-sectional survey with 844 households. Overall, 200 samples of rainwater from flooded households and drainage streams were collected, followed by laboratory analyses. Giardia lamblia and Vibrio cholerae spp. concentrations were assessed using the Sodium Acetate Formalin (SAF) method and the most probable number (MPN) method, respectively. Blood and urine were sampled from 129 rodents captured in households, followed by a PCR analysis to detect Leptospira species. The results show no significant difference detected in household exposure to flooding associated with solid waste management. In flooded households, perceived malaria symptoms and diarrhoea are associated with education (OR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.7–0.8, p = 0.001) and waste disposal (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.6, p = 0.001). There was no V. cholerae detected in the flood water. A total of 77 cyst/ml of Giardia lamblia were found in the flood water in Abobo. Three species of rodents were identified (Mus musculus, Crocidura, Rattus), and there is no Leptospira spp. detected in water, blood and urine. The presence of waterborne pathogens associated with flood water highlighted mainly faecal contamination risk. Further interventions should focus on sanitation that reduce faecal contamination.

In-depth analysis of nitrogen flows (NF) using Material Flow Analysis (MFA) was curried out to assess the impact of the current urban sanitation system in the city of Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire. The aim of the study was to develop resource recovery mitigating option for a sustainable management of the sanitation system. MFA simulations were improved by integrating R.3.0.1 and STAN 2.5 in the research framework. With a context of limited data, NF were efficiently assessed using Monte Carlo simulation in R with 1,000 iterations, based on probability distribution and statistics of input parameters. About 905 tons of nitrogen per year are discharged from the sanitation system including waste water, solid waste and faecal sludge. The discharged nitrogen degrades the urban environment and increases human exposure to health risk. To address sustainable mitigation measures, three resource recovery sanitation technology scenarios were developed. The first scenario integrates lagoons and composting plants while the second and third scenarios include unplanted and planted drying beds respectively together with co-composting. The first scenario allows potential reuse in agriculture, of 89.3% (808.6 tons) of total nitrogen produced per year which would otherwise be discharged to the environment. This scenario was thus found to be the most ecologically relevant and low-cost option. The study highlighted relevant statistical estimations, reduction of time and energy consumption in simulations, MFA potential for environmental risk mitigation and improved agriculture by nutrient recovery. This productive urban waste management option could be helpful for urban planners in developing cities. © 2017 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Keywords: Material Flow Analysis; Nitrogen Flows; Urban Waste Management; Monte Carlo simulation, Côte d’Ivoire, Sensitivity analysis