Managing the subsurface: groundwater contamination in Kampala, Uganda

Groundwater resources are the most important source of drinking water in Africa. In this weeks post, I will discuss Sub-Saharan Africa's poor waste management practices and thus the contamination of groundwater in this region.

Lets take a look... A Study of Kampala, Uganda 

In 2007, a study was completed within the peri-urban site of Bwaise III, located in the northern part of Kampala city, with one of the highest population growth rates in the district. This research is effective in the ways that it synthesises the impacts of land-use as well as the natural effects of its hydrogeological characteristics on the shallow groundwater storage.

Figure 1: Map of the Kampala District showing the location of the Bwaise III Parish

Bwaise III is a typical poor, urban settlement that is largely unplanned, with many informal practices occurring to facilitate prosperity amongst a large and rapidly growing population. In areas where households are packed together into densely populated neighbourhoods, with compromised or lacking sanitation infrastructure, in-situ sanitation is presumed to be the best option... And yet, on-site practices for disposal of human excreta and grey-water are major contributors to groundwater contamination. Human waste disposal in Bwaise consists of pit latrines and allow open defecation. In such instances, human excreta cannot be simply flushed away with the touch of a button, or the pull of a chain- instead, the waste seeps into the subsurface, contaminating groundwater supplies that so many rely on. In addition to this, the results from the Bwaise study highlight not only the detrimental nature of poor waste management practices, but also the importance of studying the local hydrogeological characteristics, where in the case of Bwaise III, a high water table and its associated flooding, further exacerbates the contamination of the groundwater. 

Bwaise III's water quality was noted to decline even further during rainy seasons, suggesting that due to increased rainfall frequency and climatic changes, contamination of drinking water will become the norm in the future, if we don't take action. 

"Adaption to existing climate variability will go a long way to adapting to climate change" 

(Africa Climate Report, 2005)

On a final note, I believe it is important to consider steps we can take to overcome and adapt to the pressing challenge of climate change that can be seen to be worsening the health and wellbeing of residents across settlements in Africa. Instead of rushing to consider how to install a modern infrastructure system in these informal settlements, we should instead review how the current localised systems of water supply and sanitation could, with the correct management, be effective and more sustainable in the longer term. It is vital to break away from the discourse that these systems are "faulty", serving just the "impoverished" populations as a matter of desperation, and instead focus attention on creating more comprehensive management systems. "Transition Management" is a new management concept that has arisen in the context of sustainability science and has been implemented in a number of developing countries, with the goal of implementing change through small, incremental steps based on searching, learning and experimenting. By adapting to current climate variability patterns, through the implementation of this framework, it could aid resilience to future climatic changes and improve the health of local communities, like those in Bwaise.