HOUSEHOLD WASTE MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH IN SEBOUAFLA IN THE CITY OF VAVOUA (IVORY COAST)

Abstract

The degradation of the living environment is a concern for the population of Sébouafla, a neighborhood in the city of Vavoua located 431 km from Abidjan. This situation is characterized by the presence of uncontrolled deposits of household waste and the proliferation of wastewater discharge points throughout the neighborhood. The objective of this study is to show the health risks related to the poor management of household waste. The research methodology is based on a documentary research. This made it possible to collect information, statistical and demographic data on Sebouafla. A questionnaire survey of 272 heads of households was conducted to supplement the information in the literature. The results show that 68.38% of households use buckets or basins to store garbage at home. Before the disposal of solid household waste, 56.62% of the respondents used the inside of their yards for storage. Household waste, which is mainly disposed of by women (76.84%) and children (18.38%), is generally found in the streets (73.16%) or is incinerated (15.07%). The streets are the main areas of discharge of wastewater from washing and cleaning (90.07%). Wastewater from showers is mainly drained into the streets (44.86%) and into cesspools (40.07%). These different practices degrade the living environment and expose the population of Sebouafla to risks of diseases such as malaria (84.93%), colds (23.16%), typhoid fever (21.26%), diarrheal diseases (15.44%) and skin diseases (13.60%).