The problem of sanitation in an urban environment is classically based on the evacuation of waste and rainwater through a collection and transport network. The sanitation networks, particularly the wastewater and rainwater evacuation pipes in Cotonou, are today faced with a dysfunction due to the daily practices of city dwellers. This work aims to analyze the logics of actors in the management of rainwater drainage networks in urban areas in the study area. The investigation technique was essentially based on documentary research and the collection of data in the field. Data was collected from 208 people through interviews with resource persons, notably local authorities and service managers, by administering questionnaires to households and direct observation in the field. The results obtained reveal that the daily practices of certain city dwellers in the study districts in terms of waste disposal contrast with the attributes of the open gutters of the said districts. Thus, 87% of the households surveyed admit that wastewater (laundry water, dishwashing water), waste oil and household orders are thrown into the gutters and 71% say that the gutters serve as a place of defecation for certain populations. These practices of incivism among populations have harmful consequences on populations and the urban environment.
Keywords: sanitation, urban, garbage, wastewater, Cotonou, Benin.
