Implementation of a Sustainable Groundwater Quality Monitoring Program in Rural Benin, West Africa

Obtaining high-frequency, water-quality data in rural developing regions is made difficult by limited financial and personnel resources; a problem that can be addressed by using local populations, a currently underutilized resource, to perform the monitoring. A case study involving elevated groundwater nitrate in rural Benin, West Africa, is used to investigate appropriate technical and sociological methods to promote monitoring. Technical methods included test strips, colorimetry, and avoidance of methods requiring electricity or sterile conditions. Sociological methods included surveys, focus groups, and participant observation. Despite technical difficulties with nitrate colorimetry and cultural biases associated with surveys, the combination of the technical and sociological methods both allowed establishment of the monitoring program and identification of strengths and weaknesses of the current approach. The general nature of the principles of methods employed in this research make them applicable in a wide array of locations and situations.