Faecal contamination on lettuce irrigated with different water sources in Maputo, Mozambique

ABSTRACT

Faecal contamination across the lettuce value chain was assessed in Maputo, Mozambique. Escherichia coli was used as an indicator of faecal contamination, with concentrations ranging from 3.4 to 5.7 log units/100 ml in groundwater, river water and partially treated wastewater. Municipal tap water used to wash lettuce heads in the markets had lower than 1 log unit/100 ml. Irrespective of the source of irrigation water, the lettuce heads were contaminated throughout the value chain, with concentrations ranging between 6.5 and 7.8 log units/100 g. Interventions and awareness raising should be applied at every stage of the value chain.

KEYWORDS:

• Escherichia coli
• irrigation water sources
• wastewater
• lettuce
• irrigated urban agriculture
• Maputo

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for funding this research. We also would like to acknowledge the anonymous reviewers who revised the manuscript which improved its quality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. It should be mentioned that since the second half of 2023, WWTP maintenance has improved substantially with cleaning and overhauling the pond area.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [W07.69.109].