Reducing Groundwater Contamination from On-Site Sanitation in Peri-Urban Sub-Saharan Africa: Reviewing Transition Management Attributes towards Implementation of Water Safety Plans

Felix R. B. Twinomucunguzi, Philip M. Nyenje, Robinah N. Kulabako, Swaib Semiyaga, Jan Willem Foppen and Frank Kansiime
Additional contact information
Felix R. B. Twinomucunguzi: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Philip M. Nyenje: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Robinah N. Kulabako: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Swaib Semiyaga: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Jan Willem Foppen: Department of Water Science and Engineering, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, P.O. Box 3015, 2601 DA Delft, The Netherlands
Frank Kansiime: Department of Environmental Management, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-21

Abstract: High urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has resulted in increased peri-urban groundwater contamination by on-site sanitation. The World Health Organization introduced Water Safety Plans (WSP) towards the elimination of contamination risks to water supply systems; however, their application to peri-urban groundwater sources has been limited. Focusing on Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania, this paper reviews limitations of the existing water regime in addressing peri-urban groundwater contamination through WSPs and normative attributes of Transition Management (TM) towards a sustainable solution. Microbial and nutrient contamination remain prevalent hazards in peri-urban SSA, arising from on-site sanitation within a water regime following Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles. Limitations to implementation of WSPs for peri-urban groundwater protection include policy diversity, with low focus on groundwater; institutional incoherence; highly techno-centric management tools; and limited regard for socio-cultural and urban-poor aspects. In contrast, TM postulates a prescriptive approach promoted by community-led frontrunners, with flexible and multi-domain actors, experimenting through socio-technical tools towards a shared vision. Thus, a unified risk-based management framework, harnessing attributes of TM and IWRM, is proposed towards improved WSP implementation. The framework could assist peri-urban communities and policymakers in formulating sustainable strategies to reduce groundwater contamination, thereby contributing to improved access to safe water.

Keywords: contamination; integrated water resources management; groundwater; pollution; Sub-Saharan Africa; transition management; water safety plan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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