On Thursday, 24 July 2014, the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) provided assistance to people in Zaipobly, situated at some 600 km west of Abidjan, by supplying them with potable water. This action was in response to a plea for help from local authorities who believed a well and a water pomp had been poisoned in the "Guéré" neighbourhood of the village.



In effect, the water coming out of these two sources had become undrinkable since 19 July 2014. According to the village chief, Emmanuel Tehé Bah, people had noticed that the water was dirty and not fit for human consumption. "We are had noticed that the water was not very clean and had a bad odour. I immediately asked people to stop using it and informed the Prefect and the Gendarmerie," explained Mr. Tehé Bah.



Describing how UNOCI responded to the villagers' plight, Captain Kamal Bounouar of the UN Mission's Moroccan Contingent said: "We sent a tank of 5,000 litres of water as soon as we heard what had happened in the village,". For their part, UN police officers based in Taï, Tchangbayou Tchibalo and Jean Munyandekwe, went to meet members of the Gendarmerie, who had already opened an inquiry, to discuss the possible cause of the contamination of the two water sources.



The assistance provided by UNOCI was welcomed by the villagers as well as the Mayor of Taï, Desiré Gnonkonté. "I would like to thank UNOCI who came to the aid of villagers in Zaipobly by providing them with potable water," said the Mayor.



It should be noted that the regional office of the National Institute of Public Hygiene - Institut National d'Hygiène Publique (INHP), which was approached by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), has already carried out a chemical and micro-biological analysis of the two water sources and recommended that they be closed for a month while the water is treated.