Category: Catchment / Major water users, cities, counties
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Citizen engagement: Arena groups using Transition Management to increase safe use of urban shallow groundwater and to have a voice with authorities [C12]
Transition Management and Learning Alliances are proving to be valuable mechanisms for mobilising residents of slums areas, building trust between them and with authorities and NGOs. Residents in the three slum areas investigated are heavily reliant on self-supply from shallow groundwater and UPGro has strengthened the evidence base around those risks, and identified both new…
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Strengthening monitoring network and analytical capacity in Kwale Country, Kenya and the Water Resources Authority (WRA) [C10]
The Gro for GooD team supported the development of the KCWMP through ongoing engagement and sharing of data with the County Government and its consultants. Data from the Gro for GooD investigations, which included geophysical surveys, geological mapping and environmental monitoring, were shared openly through team members permanently based in Kwale County. One of the…
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UPGro Impact: Transition Management can build understanding, trust and joint actions between slum residents and authorities to improve access to safe water [D6]
Transition Management and Learning Alliances are proving to be valuable mechanisms for mobilising residents of slums areas, building trust between them and with authorities and NGOs. Residents in the three slum areas investigated are heavily reliant on self-supply from shallow groundwater and UPGro has strengthened the evidence base around those risks, and identified both new…
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UPGro Impact: responding to declining groundwater levels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [D5]
Addis Ababa relies on groundwater for more than 60% of its water supply. Water levels are declining significantly. Declining water levels is affecting access to water for some users. Rapid water level decline has led to some shallow community boreholes equipped with handpumps to fail. Old wells fields (e.g. The Old Akaki wellfield) tapping the…
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UPGro Impact: UPGro discovers untapped groundwater resources for Kwale County Water Master Plan, Kenya [D4]
Detailed groundwater investigations by the Gro for GooD team in Kenya identified new and significant groundwater resources in the Msambweni area of Kwale County, Kenya. This is an agricultural area with a growing tourist industry where domestic, commercial and agricultural demand for water is increasing. The Kwale County Water Master Plan (KCWMP) aims to exploit…
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UPGro Science: investment in local investigations, mapping and monitoring unlocks economic potential and resilience [S5]
Good local hydrogeological understanding and monitoring over time is required to define the sustainable yield of wells and boreholes, particularly in weathered basement aquifers, and from this assess opportunities for domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial activities, and the associated risks. Many low-productivity fractured aquifers are capable of supporting handpump boreholes, with no evidence of climate…
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UPGro Science: Numerical groundwater models can be used to assess the sustainability of different groundwater scenarios to inform groundwater management and planning [S14]
Possible responses, such as infrastructure investment, improved groundwater monitoring and management, introduction of drought-resilient crops, and focus on environmental management, were identified to help mitigate the impacts.
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UPGro Science: No substantial decline in the volume of water stored in the major aquifer basins over the last 15 years, but there are major localised risk areas [S6]
At the scale of the African continent, UPGro research has shown that there has been no substantial decline in the volume of water stored in the major aquifer basins over the last 15 years. However, local contexts do differ, and in some African cities, groundwater levels have fallen.
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UPGro Science: understanding of African/Tropical recharge processes has been improved. Climate change may enhance groundwater recharge in arid and semi-arid areas, presenting opportunities for long-term management as part of national climate adaptation strategies [S4]
UPGro researchers found that in wetter areas recharge happens every year, but in dryland areas substantial recharge less regularly, often just once or twice a decade.
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UPGro Science: Testing of shallow groundwater in urban areas confirmed widespread contamination and health risks, and some contaminants not previously detected or tested for. New sensor methods developed [S8]
In urban areas, groundwater quality measured in Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia was found to be generally poor, particularly in shallow unconfined aquifers. Viral DNA work shows that viruses, some of which are pathogenic and carcinogenic for humans, are persistent in aquifers and present irrespective of geology, depth, population etc. Emerging contaminants, e.g. viruses,…
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