Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 26 | Published: 06 Oct 2026
Samba Camara1,2,&, Lamin Fanding Barrow1, Lamarana Jallow3, John Arko-Mensah2, Ebrahim Camara4, Neneh Touray5, Landing Bojang6, Lamin Fadera7, Musa Njie8, Ebrima Musa Jallow9, Musa Nget10, Prudence Tettey2
1Department of Public and Environmental Health, University of The Gambia, Faraba Banta, The Gambia; 2Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon Campus, Accra, Ghana; 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Legon Campus, Accra, Ghana; 4Directorate of Planning, Kotu, Ministry of Health, Government of The Gambia; 5The National Water Quality Laboratory, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Environment and Fisheries, Abuko, Government of The Gambia; 6Hydrology Directorate, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Environment and Fisheries, Marina Parade, Government of The Gambia; 7Water Sanitation and Hygiene Programme, Directorate of Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Banjul, The Gambia; 8Directorate of Petroleum, Energy and Water, Public Utility Authority, Kairaba Avenue, Government of The Gambia; 9The Gambia Standards Bureau, Kotu Lay Out, Government of The Gambia; 10School of Public Health, Gambia College, Brikama Campus, Brikama. The Gambia
&Corresponding author: Samba Camara, Department of Public and Environmental Health, University of The Gambia, Faraba Banta, The Gambia, Email: scamara@utg.edu.gm, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9724-8270
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 28 Aug 2026, Published: 06 Oct 2026
Domain: Environmental Health
Keywords: Groundwater quality, coliforms, Ph, drinking water, peri-urban, The Gambia
©Samba Camara et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Samba Camara et al., Groundwater quality in peri-urban Gambia: A cross-sectional assessment of physicochemical and microbial contamination and associated risk factors. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):26. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0026
Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water in many peri-urban communities in sub-Saharan Africa, including The Gambia, where limited sanitation infrastructure increases the risk of contamination. However, systematic assessments comparing microbial and physicochemical water quality across source types and communities remain limited. This study assessed the physicochemical and microbiological quality of groundwater sources in peri-urban communities in Brikama, The Gambia
A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2021 across six communities. Fifty-seven groundwater sources (23 boreholes and 34 hand-dug wells) were sampled. Physicochemical parameters (pH and temperature) were measured in situ, while faecal coliforms (FC) and total coliforms (TC) were quantified using membrane filtration. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to compare contamination across source types and communities, and associations between variables were examined using Spearman correlation and linear regression. Results were evaluated against World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guidelines.
Groundwater quality was widely non-compliant with WHO standards. Mean pH was 6.25 (SD = 0.30), with 84.2% of samples below the recommended minimum of 6.5. Faecal coliforms were detected in 63.2% of samples and total coliforms in 75.4%. Hand-dug wells had significantly higher microbial contamination than boreholes (p < 0.001) with significant variation observed across communities (p < 0.001). Faecal coliforms were strongly correlated with total coliforms (rₛ= 0.928, p < 0.001).
Groundwater sources in the study communities show widespread microbial contamination and suboptimal physicochemical quality, posing potential risks to drinking water safety. The findings highlight the need for improved source protection, sanitation practices, and routine water quality monitoring. Faecal coliform testing may provide a practical indicator for microbial contamination in resource-limited settings.
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