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I'm currently planning a field trip to help a small NGO in Burundi with a Water Safety Plan and my French is letting me down. I am trying to find what water quality PCVs and sampling regimes apply in Burundi, and if anyone has experience of good labs in Bujumbura that can offer such analysis, or at least run faecal coliform counts. This definitely doesn't need your 24 hour response service, but it would be good to know in suitable advance of a planned October trip whether we need to have a delagua kit sent over so we can train up some local technicians.

I'm currently planning a field trip to help a small NGO in Burundi with a Water Safety Plan and my French is letting me down. I am trying to find what water quality PCVs and sampling regimes apply in Burundi, and if anyone has experience of good labs in Bujumbura that can offer such analysis, or at least run faecal coliform counts. This definitely doesn't need your 24 hour response service, but it would be good to know in suitable advance of a planned October trip whether we need to have a delagua kit sent over so we can train up some local technicians.

I'm currently planning a field trip to help a small NGO in Burundi with a Water Safety Plan and my French is letting me down. I am trying to find what water quality PCVs and sampling regimes apply in Burundi, and if anyone has experience of good labs in Bujumbura that can offer such analysis, or at least run faecal coliform counts. This definitely doesn't need your 24 hour response service, but it would be good to know in suitable advance of a planned October trip whether we need to have a delagua kit sent over so we can train up some local technicians.

It appears to be a capped spring, so I would hope that faecal coliform counts are zero, however I have been told that someone tested the water a while ago and found bacteria. I'm still trying to get their test report - as I have been told nothing more than 'bacteria' and that could be completely innocuous, but I'd like to test for faecals anyway. And on sanitary inspections, yes absolutely - I suspect cattle grazing could be an issue. It is my hope that we wouldn't have too much trouble from a capped spring, but I imagine source protection could be the quickest win. If that doesn't suffice then whether disinfection can be afforded may be the question, and either way I will be recommending ongoing monitoring and will try to develop an acceptably affordable regime. Something like point of use filters may be the best solution, but again affordability could be an issue. I don't suppose you have any feel for physicochemical values do you? I have read that nitrates, heavy metals and arsenic are the usual suspect problem contaminants in Burundi, but it would be good to know if there were any national prescribed concentrations or values, or other guidelines.