@article{fdi:010066015, title = {{F}ield and modelling studies of {E}scherichia coli loads in tropical streams of montane agro-ecosystems}, author = {{C}ausse, {J}. and {B}illen, {G}. and {G}arnier, {J}. and {H}enri-des-{T}ureaux, {T}. and {O}lasa, {X}. and {T}hammahacksa, {C}. and {L}atsachak, {K}. {O}. and {S}oulileuth, {B}. and {S}engtaheuanghoung, {O}. and {R}ochelle {N}ewall, {E}mma and {R}ibolzi, {O}livier}, editor = {}, language = {{ENG}}, abstract = {{T}he extent of faecal contamination in soils and water is still poorly known in rural tropical areas despite its important consequences on both human health and the economy. {H}ere we explore the sources, pathways, and spatio-temporal dynamic of contamination in rivers of a rural tropical area at different spatial and temporal scales. {C}oncentrations of {E}scherichia coli ({E}. coli), a faecal indicator bacteria ({FIB}), were measured in the {N}am {K}han river, tributary of the {M}ekong river ({N}orth {L}ao {PDR}). {M}easurements were made from the headwaters to the main stream under contrasted hydrological conditions (i.e. during base flow and stormflow) and during the wet and dry seasons in 2011. {T}he results show that {E}. coli contamination is controlled by both land use (i.e. stock of bacteria brought to the soil surface by the faeces of human and livestock) and hydrology (i.e. contribution of overland flow to the river discharge). {D}irect point-source contamination is of minor importance in this rural watershed, however, during high discharge the concentration of {FIB} frequently exceeds 5000 {MPN} 100 m{L}(-1). {T}he {E}. coli module of the {S}eneque/{R}iverstrahler model was adapted to the context of the {N}am {K}han river, validated with field observations and used to analyse future scenarios of faecal contamination (changing demographic trends and improvements in wastewater management). {W}e found that the risk of worsening {FIB} contamination was more related to the predicted future rural exodus and to wastewater management practices rather than to an increase in demographic pressure in these upland systems.}, keywords = {{M}icrobiological water quality ; {E}scherichia coli ; {M}odelling ; {R}ural watershed ; {F}aecal indicator bacteria ; {S}tormflow ; {LAOS} ; {NAM} {KHAN} {BASSIN} {VERSANT} ; {HOUAY} {XON} {BASSIN} {VERSANT}}, booktitle = {}, journal = {{J}ournal of {H}ydro-{E}nvironment {R}esearch}, volume = {9}, numero = {4}, pages = {496--507}, ISSN = {1570-6443}, year = {2015}, DOI = {10.1016/j.jher.2015.03.003}, URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066015}, }