Residual chlorine and pH influence on hygienic tap quality water consumed in Togo

Water is used in personal hygiene, but also for food purposes. Unfortunately, the problem of drinking water consumption persists in developing countries. Water supply involves several stages from collection to storage through packaging and transport. During all these steps, the water can undergo various microbiological, physical and chemical contaminations that can transmit waterborne diseases among consumers. The characterization of the water quality is therefore important to protect the health of consumers. The main objective of this study was to assess the influence of residual chlorine and pH on microorganisms in drinking water. To this end, 30 water samples were collected in nine districts of Lomé in Togo. The spores were detected by routine standardized methods of the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR). The results of this study showed the presence of total spores with an average of 1.84 spore/ml in some samples despite the high levels of chlorine.