[Pollution of the groundwater in the city of Niamey, Niger].

We conducted a study on chemical and bacteriological groundwater pollution in Niamey, a Sahelian city of some 700,000 inhabitants. A total of 22 wells and 24 bore-holes were selected on a geological and socio-economic basis. The superficial aquifers, located on each bank of the River Niger and connected to the wells, presented high levels of oxidizable nitrogen and bacteriological pollution (coliform and faecal Streptococcus) which make the water unfit for human consumption.