Evaluation of environmental impacts in water ecosystems with genetic based bacteriological and physicochemical aspects guided sustainable water resource management in developing countries: Case of south India and sub-Saharan Africa

Funding:

Swiss National Science Foundation

The objective of this project are: (i) to study the effect of hospital effluents on the distribution and prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their resistance genes from the surface waters and sediments of receiving systems under tropical conditions, (ii) to examine the environmental exposure pathways particularly anthropogenic influences associated with aquatic environment receiving systems, irrigation water and crops, and drinking water supplies, and (iii) to evaluate the impact of population and latrines on fecal contamination in ponds and wells both receiving system. The methods and scenarios which are developed include the potential strategy for the development of new sustainable water management and food production as well as to prevent the human risks in developing countries. The study (sampling site) is being performed in south India (Tamil Nadu Region) and receiving system of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Contact and supervisors:

PhD students: Amandine Laffite (University of Geneva) & Naresh Devarajan (accomplished).

Supervisor: Vera Slaveykova, Walter Wildi & John Poté

Partners: University of Kinshasa and UPN (Profs. Josué Mubedi, Pius Mpiana, Crispin Mulaji and Vicky Elongo), and Jamal Mohamed College-Bharathidasan University (Prof. Kandasamy Prabakar)