The use of alternative water sources as a means of adaptation to water shortages in Nsimeyong, Yaounde city: a quality assessment

Abstract Nsimeyong (Damas), one of the residential areas of Yaounde, Capital city of Cameroon experiences water shortages making residents rely on other sources of water including streams, springs, boreholes and wells. Water samples were aseptically collected from the processing plants and from five sites of Nsimeyong area. This study was aimed at assessing suspected heavy metals and coliforms of water collected from fifteen alternative water supply sources in this area. Heavy metals (Pb and Cd) were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9308-2:1990b last reviewed and confirmed in 2017 was used to determine the Most Probable Number (MPN) of total coliforms by the five-tube MPN table. The presence of presumptive E. coli was confirmed on Sugar, Indole, and Motility (SIM) media at 44⁰C and by the addition of Kovac's reagent to tryptone water. Water samples showed higher concentrations of Pb beyond the maximum permissible level (0.1mg/l). With the exception of processed tap water at home, all other alternative sources of water used in Damas registered Cd above the World Health Organization recommendation (0.03mg/l). Unlike Cd (p = 0.0001), the difference among Pb content of water samples at the collection sites was not statistically significant (p = 0.1416). More than 66% of water samples (of which closed to 39% were open wells) had MPN value for total coliform beyond the permissible level (