Impacts of the reuse of wastewater from the Bouishak wadi in the city of Meknes (central- south Morocco) in urban agriculture

¹The current work is to monitor monthly the bacteriological quality of raw wastewater discharged into the Bouishak River of the city of Meknes (Morocco) and to discern the impact of the reuse of this wastewater on the irrigation of vegetable crops. To do this, three selected stations from upstream to downstream (B1, B2 and B3). Over a period from January to December 2017. Identification and enumeration of bacteria indicating fecal contamination and pathogenic organisms (Salmonella) were determined. The average concentration of these microorganisms differs from one site to another, depending on the sampling period and the direction of flow of water. The average bacterial loads are respectively 9.88 10⁶; 8.01 10⁶, 5.92 10⁶, 4.98 10⁶, 1.54 10⁴, 2.46 10⁵ CFU/100 ml for total sprouts, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, anaerobic sulphite reducers and Escherichia coli. However, the levels of fecal contamination germs remain out of the ordinary. The bacterium Salmonella was detected in July and August in station B1. The results obtained show that the urban sewage of Bouishak Wadi is extremely rich in bacteria revealing faecal contamination. They exceed the standards of Moroccan wastewater discharge. This reflects a negative impact on public health.