scholarly journals Vadose zone infiltration and its implication for groundwater contamination risk assessment in Siloam village, Limpopo province, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivo Arrey ◽  
John O. Odiyo ◽  
Rachel Makungo ◽  
Milton Kataka
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Groundwater Table ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Zone Model ◽  
Organic Additives ◽  
Moisture Fluxes

Risk assessment methods and approaches are useful for environmental planning and decision-making when dealing with risk identification and reduction in a changing global context. This is particularly true for arid and semi-arid regions, such as Siloam village, Limpopo province, South Africa, where it is a common practice to apply fertilisers to the soil during planting season for increasing crop yield. Estimates of vadose zone soil moisture fluxes were used to determine the likelihood of applied agricultural fertilisers to reach the groundwater table. This study combines field observations in the study area and a one-dimensional numerical model to explore the moisture fluxes and their implications for contaminant transport in the vadose zone. Model simulations revealed a lag time of 117 days at topsoil and 913 days beyond the root zone for deep percolation of soluble non-reactive inorganic and organic additives to reach the groundwater table. Preliminary results of this study suggest that the vadose zone is permeable and the groundwater is vulnerable to contamination within the evaluated time scale. Given that disaster risks are inevitable, reasonable methods for control and mitigation of agricultural impacts at this site are highly recommended.

Lived Experiences of Young People who Live with Mental Healthcare Users in Limpopo, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamakota Maggie Molepo ◽  
Faniswa Honest Mfidi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Young People ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Burden Sharing

Mental illness is more than just the diagnosis to an individual – it also has an impact on the social functioning of the family at large. When a parent or relative has a mental illness, all other family members are affected, even the children. The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the lived experiences of young people who live with mental healthcare users and the way in which their daily coping can be maximised. A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological research was undertaken to explore and describe the lived experiences of young people who live with mental healthcare users in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Audiotaped, unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 young people who grew up and lived with a family member who is a mental healthcare user in their homes, until data saturation was reached. A content analysis was used to derive themes from the collected qualitative data. Four major themes emerged as features reflective of the young people’s daily living with mental healthcare user, namely psychological effects, added responsibilities, effects on school performances, and support systems. This study recommends that support networks for young people be established through multidisciplinary team involvement and collaboration and the provision of burden-sharing or a relief system during times of need. With the availability of healthy coping mechanisms and support systems, the daily living situations and coping of young people could be maximised, thereby improving their quality of life while living with their family members with mental illness.

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