Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Guinea-Bissau?

Bissau's limited piped network, operated by EAGB, draws on groundwater from shallow coastal aquifers, though coverage reaches only a portion of the capital's population. The Geba and Corubal rivers, the country's major waterways, are used mainly for transport, fishing, and irrigation rather than treated drinking supply.

Guinea-Bissau has one of the lowest rates of water infrastructure investment in West Africa, and cholera outbreaks have recurred periodically, linked directly to contaminated water sources in Bissau and coastal communities. Saltwater intrusion affects shallow coastal aquifers, while a near-total lack of sewage treatment allows bacterial contamination to reach both groundwater and surface water sources.

Bissau's piped water system covers only a fraction of the city, with many residents relying on shallow private wells that are highly vulnerable to contamination from nearby latrines. Rural regions along the Geba and Corubal rivers and throughout the Bijagos Archipelago depend almost entirely on unprotected wells and rainwater collection with no formal treatment.

Coastal groundwater in the Bissau area is generally soft to moderate, around 40–90 mg/L, though hardness and salinity increase in wells affected by saltwater intrusion near the coast..

Most Bissau residents who can afford it buy bottled water, while many others rely on shallow wells or rainwater collection with minimal or no treatment. Humanitarian and development organizations periodically distribute chlorine tablets in response to cholera risk, particularly in flood-prone neighborhoods.

• •Drink only bottled water throughout Guinea-Bissau, including in Bissau
• •Avoid tap or well water entirely, even for brushing teeth
• •Use purification tablets or a filter when traveling to the Bijagos Archipelago
• •Be alert to cholera advisories, particularly during the rainy season from June to October

• •Boil all water for at least one minute before drinking
• •Avoid well water entirely due to widespread latrine contamination
• •Store any treated water in clean, covered containers
• •Avoid raw produce washed in untreated local water