Sanitary Quality of Irrigated Vegetables in the Swampy Lowlands of Dschang City, Cameroon

Abstract

In Dschang City, as in Cameroon's secondary cities, waterborne diseases are increasing. Stream waters are used for watering crops. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the health risk of irrigating vegetables (lettuce, carrots and eggplants) in the Dschang lowlands. Escherichia coli, Entamoeba spp. cysts, Ascaris lumbricoides eggs, major elements and trace elements were looked for in the vegetables collected from 18 plots. The results show that market gardening is practised mainly in the lowlands that receive all the untreated waste from the city. Stream waters used for spraying crops contains approximately 4.2 Log (CFU of E. coli) in 100 ml, regardless of the season. Eggs and parasite cysts were detected. The vegetables analysed have a low and acceptable chemical content. Regardless of the season, E. coli found on crops was far above the standards (103 UFCg−1 DM), 5–58 times above. Eggs and parasite cysts were also detected. These parasites and bacteria represent a real risk to consumers and would be partly responsible for the upsurge of waterborne diseases in Dschang City. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Consequences of hygiene and sanitation limitations on physicochemical, bacteriological and parasitological quality of water for vegetable irrigation purpose in the Mbouda lowlands, Cameroon western highlands

“…These diseases affect the wellbeing of consumers and are sometimes expensive to manage, while in this city, the majority of the population lives on less than a dollar per day. The link between the poor sanitary quality of the vegetables consumed and waterborne diseases has been established (Luz et al, 2017; Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2019b; Punsawad et al, 2019). This high bacteriological pollution of irrigation water is a direct consequence of an almost nonexistent sanitation system in this city.…”

“…Unfortunately, the waters in these marshes not only serve as a dumping ground for all kinds of rubbish but also receive almost all the wastewater produced in the city, where sanitation systems are almost nonexistent (Tchuikoua et al, 2016). This can compromise the quality of the water that is used without any prior treatment for the production of vegetable crops, some of which are consumed raw (Kouam et al, 2010;Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2012, 2019b. This practice can be a risk factor for farmers and consumers of harvested products as it can lead to the contamination of market gardens produced by microorganisms, some of which can be dangerous for consumers (Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2012, 2019bToe et al, 2017).…”

“…This can compromise the quality of the water that is used without any prior treatment for the production of vegetable crops, some of which are consumed raw (Kouam et al, 2010;Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2012, 2019b. This practice can be a risk factor for farmers and consumers of harvested products as it can lead to the contamination of market gardens produced by microorganisms, some of which can be dangerous for consumers (Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2012, 2019bToe et al, 2017).…”

Health risk associated with the collection, transport, and storage practices of drinking water by the population of the Dschang city, West‐Cameroon

“…Nearly 19% of the registered sick in Dschang city, over 18,000 illnesses, suffer from water‐borne diseases (Temgoua, 2011). The poor quality of drinking water and market garden produce could be the cause of this predicament (Ntangmo Tsafack et al, 2012, 2019, 2021, 2022; Temgoua, 2011). However, particular importance is attached to the quality and quantity of drinking water through the multiplication of standpipes, given that the proportion of households connected to the conventional network is low.…”