Evaluation of the microbiological quality of the water distribution network of the Boma center in Kongo Central/DR Congo

The present study on the evaluation of the microbiological quality of the water distribution network of the Boma center in Kongo Central in the Democratic Republic of Congo was carried out in 12 sampling stations during the rainy season. The city of Boma where insalubrity is emerging on all avenues, bacteriological analyzes have focused on the search for Escherichia coli, fecal coliforms, total coliforms and fecal streptococci; analyses of the physical and chemical quality of the network's waters mainly concerned pH, residual free chlorine and turbidity in accordance with the WHO requirement. Hydrogen potential (pH) has a seasonal average of 91.7% of the sample compliance rate with the 2011 WHO recommendations, residual free chlorine has 66.7% and 66.7% for turbidity.
Bacteriologically: 48 samples (66.7%) out of 72 were compliant with WHO recommendations (2011) for Escherichia coli, 42 samples (58.3%) were compliant for faecal coliforms and 30 samples (41.7%) were compliant for total coliforms. As for faecal Streptococci, 54 samples (75%) comply with a high pollution rate at E.RDP and E.VBA stations and a low rate recorded at E.km8 station. The presence of all these bacteria of faecal origin and the non-compliance of certain physico-chemical parameters in the distribution network could be due to intermittent distribution, the obsolescence of the piping (χ = 245 leaks/month of which 220 repaired) and the insalubrity of the network. In view of the results obtained during this period, this distribution network provided water which, upstream as well as downstream, contained some germs indicative of faecal pollution.