Djougou - Water and Sanitation

Water and Sanitation

People in Djougou obtain their water from several sources. Many homes and places of work have running tap water. Other concessions have a communal well from which people draw their water. There is a lake bordering Djougou on the southern side, but community members do not fetch water directly from it and access has been recently restricted after the drowning of child playing near the dam. While people here do not boil their drinking water, they agree that tap water is healthier than well water. The water supply is consistent, and I have never experienced problems with access.

Concessions all have private latrines and some homes with running water also have toilets. Latrines are covered and almost always set an adequate distance from the school, restaurant, etc. for sanitation reasons. Most animals appear to be well-maintained. Even if they are not confined, they are usually guarded by someone and kept within a certain area or distance. There is both natural and plastic trash in Djougou—both of which people usually dump by the side of the road or into large areas of tall grass. This trash is then burned with the grass during the Harmatton season. The city as a whole is fairly clean. The air quality is better than expected for the size of the city, and most public areas such as schools and restaurants are kept clean, especially in comparison to larger southern cities like Porto Novo. There is a highly anticipated program that kicked off in November 2010 for trash collection. The receptacles and trash truck are visible at the mayor’s office and many people are excited for the possibility to clean up the city.