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Dye tracing of the Lusaka karstified aquifer system: implications towards urban groundwater quality protection

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Abstract

Management of groundwater resources requires a large amount of data, coupled with an understanding of the aquifer system behavior. In develo** countries, the scarcity in groundwater data has led to aquifers being managed according to rule-of-thumb standards or even abandoned as unmanageable at times. Groundwater quality protection thus has been through prescribed separation distances often without due regard for internal and boundary characteristics that affect response rates of groundwater movement, attenuation of pollutants, and recharge. In this study, we examine the boundary characteristics of the highly vulnerable karst aquifer system in the rapidly expanding city of Lusaka using a dye tracer technique. We investigate the flow dynamics (magnitude and direction) of groundwater using dye tracer dyes (fluorescein and rhodamine) spiked in pit latrines and observed at discharge springs. The results provide irrefutable evidence that pit latrines are a source and a pathway to contamination of groundwater. Dye tracer movement in groundwater was rapid, estimated at 340 and 430 m/day for fluorescein and rhodamine, respectively, through interconnected conduit density. The vadose zone (epikarst) tends to store diffuse recharge before release to the phreatic zone. These rapid groundwater movements render regulatory separation minimum distances of 30 m between abstraction wells and pit latrines/septic tanks in such environments to be an ineffective means of reducing contamination. The policy focus in the protection of groundwater quality should henceforth be on robust sanitation solutions especially for low-income communities that recognize the socio-economic diversity.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets and material generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Government of the Republic of Zambia with funds from the World Bank in the framework of the Zambia Water Resources Development Project for supporting this study. Furthermore, the authors also thank Miami University for providing materials and equipment. Reviewers of this paper are also acknowledged for their time and effort to improve the quality of the paper.

Funding

All of the sources of funding for the work described in this manuscript are acknowledged below: World Bank provided funds for data collection and analysis of results. Miami University provided materials and equipment. University of Zambia provided on the ground logistical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrated Water Resource Management Centre, Department of Geology, School of Mines, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia

    Mercy Simaubi, Kawawa Banda & Imasiku Nyambe

  2. Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    Jonathan Levy

  3. United States National Park Service, Ret., Union, KY, USA

    Joe Meiman

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  1. Mercy Simaubi
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  2. Kawawa Banda
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Contributions

MS, KB, and JL conceived the ideas and designed the methodology. MS, KB, and JL collected the data. MS, KB, JL, and JM analyzed the data. KB, MS, IN, and JL led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Kawawa Banda.

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Simaubi, M., Banda, K., Levy, J. et al. Dye tracing of the Lusaka karstified aquifer system: implications towards urban groundwater quality protection. Environ Monit Assess 195, 732 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11272-z

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