[Water access and storage: survey in a peri-urban area of Abidjan in 2010]

A health survey on access to water and a chemical and bacteriological analysis were conducted between May and October 2010 on 200 tanks of drinking water in 669 households in a peri-urban area of Abidjan. The results show that 70% of the population used piped water and that 64% of the population used approximately 20 litres of water per person per day. The study found that households that used alternative sources of water spent more than those that used piped water (p < 0,001). The study also found that 75.6% of the surveyed households stored water. The survey showed that 81% of the samples contained coliforms and 42.5% contained Escherichia coli. The presence of bacteria can be explained by the large quantities of water stored in open containers (i.e. containers without lids). Basic water supply combined with health education and safe water storage containers are needed.