Impact of dumping faecal sludge on the microbiological quality of Funa River Water in the City of Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

The Funa river in the city of Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo is transformed into a wild dump and in its downstream part, into a receptacle for septic tank sludge coming from the city's houses, buildings, hospitals etc. The aim of this study was to investigate Funa river water and determine its pathogenic pollutant load coming from dumped faecal sludge. A survey carried out from October 2018 to September 2019 during the dry and rainy season on the identification of pathogenic and non-pathogenic germs made it possible to highlight the microbiological quality of the water. Results obtained showed that on average 5197 m3 of faecal sludge was dumped into this river. The germs identified were Escherichia coli (22,566.6-30.103 CFU/100 mL), Enterococcus ssp (18.333,3–18 333.3 UFC/100 mL) Salmonella (22.566,6–30103 UFC/100 mL) and Shigella (366,6 – 800 UFC/100 mL) in significant numbers. Thus, the dumping of faecal sludge into the Funa river represents a serious public health risk considering the number of pathogenic microorganisms identified in the water. The protection of this river is a necessity in order to preserve the health of the local population.