scholarly journals Review on Main Issues Causing Deterioration of Water Quality and Water Scarcity: Case Study of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Kapuku Bwapwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Waste Discharge ◽  
Water Quality Deterioration ◽  
Growing Population

Water shortage in South Africa is a mixture of many factors: limited and highly polluted watercourses, low rainfall, fast growing population and high evaporation rates. Many studies on watercourses have shown a decline on quality due to the ongoing pollution caused by urbanization, mining, industry, power generation, afforestation and agriculture. Given the current forecasts based on population growth versus the country’s limited water resources, it is unlikely to keep existing patterns regarding the use of water and the discharge of wastes. Predictions are also indicating that pollutants will continue to accumulate in freshwater resources independently of the population growth in South Africa. Issues associated with water quality can turn out to be worsened with environmental devastating consequences. For instance, in the agricultural sector it may lead to a drop in yields and quality for fruits and crops followed by soil contamination. It can harmfully affect the population and aquatic health. Furthermore, water quality deterioration can affect the costs related to purification processes resulting in an increased price of clean water. Human induced activities causing salinization, eutrophication, acidification, presence of pathogens in watercourses, inappropriate waste discharge practices and sewage spills are major causes influencing or deteriorating water quality in South Africa. 

Potential impacts of slum urbanisation on channel bank storage in the Bang Pakong River, Thailand

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Harriden
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Balance Equations ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Water Quality Deterioration ◽  
Informal Urban Settlements ◽  
Storage Processes

Generally regarded as social phenomena, this paper regards slum urbanisation as an environmental actor. Specifically, how slum developments modify hydrogeomorphological processes motivates this research. Using the Bang Pakong River, eastern Thailand, as a case study, a literature review was conducted. The literature reviewed indicated changes in physical processes such as channel bank stability, water quality, flow regimes and the hydrological balance equations can occur with slum development. Given the importance of channel banks as the physical basis of many slum sites, this paper focuses on the possible changes to channel bank storage in the Bang Pakong River following slum urbanisation. The research highlights possible changes to channel bank storage processes, notably decreased storage recharge rates; increased anthropogenic extraction; and probable water quality deterioration. Deeper scientific understanding of how river processes are affected by specific forms of urban development can contribute to better management of both informal urban settlements and rivers.

scholarly journals Potentials and limits of urban rainwater harvesting in the Middle East

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 10369-10396 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lange ◽  
S. Husary ◽  
A. Gunkel ◽  
D. Bastian ◽  
T. Grodek
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Palestinian Authority ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Jordan River Basin ◽  
Regional Estimates

Abstract. In the Middle East, water is scarce and population growth causes a rapid rise of urban centers. Since many towns of the Palestinian Authority (PA) suffer from water shortage, the use of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as an alternative to conventional water supply has gained increasing interest among water resources planners. This study quantifies actual volumes of urban RWH to be expected from highly variable Mediterranean rainfall. A one-parameter model uses measured potential evaporation and high resolution rainfall data as input to calculate RWH volumes from rooftops inside Ramallah, a traditional Arab town. While during average seasons a 87% runoff harvest (480 from 550 mm of rainfall) can be expected, this value decreases to about 75% (190 from 250 mm of rainfall) during drought seasons. A survey comprising more than 500 questionnaires suggests that approximately 40% of the houses are equipped with RWH systems from which one third are out of use. Although water quality is perceived to be favourable, only 3% of the active RWH systems are actually used for drinking and only 18% for domestic purposes. All active RWH systems investigated may harvest approximately 16 × 103 m3 of rooftop runoff during an average season and 6 × 103 m3 during droughts. When these numbers are extrapolated to all houses in Ramallah, theoretical maximum potentials increase to approximately 298 × 103 m3 during average seasons and 118 × 103 m3 during droughts. A part of this potential can easily be exhausted by rehabilitation of installed RWH systems. Also, the use of collected water for drinking should be advocated. This should go along with regular checks of water quality and regulations concerning adequate water storage and treatment/disinfection procedures where necessary. Regional estimates for the entire Lower Jordan River Basin yielded RWH potentials of 20 × 106 m3 during the average season 2002/2003 but only 3 × 106 m3 during the drought season 1998/1999. Thus, urban RWH is a relatively small contribution to overcome water scarcity in the region and decreases significantly during droughts. Yet it is a sustainable water resource, which is available on spot for everybody. Due to population growth and ongoing urbanization it will be more important in future.

scholarly journals Assessing states: Water service delivery and evolving state–society relations in Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila M Harris
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Water Access ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Access And Quality

This paper analyzes water services in relation to trust in government, with insights for broader state–society relations. The work is based on a multi-year and multi-sited case study of underserved areas of Cape Town, South Africa and Accra, Ghana. The analysis reveals that water quality and satisfaction are statistically linked to trust in government in South Africa, but not in Ghana. As well, while indicators of water access and quality appear to be very good in South Africa, there is nonetheless deep contestation and ongoing dis-enfranchisement. For Ghana, water access and quality are important for people’s daily lives, but are less strongly connected to senses of governmental responsibility—although for both countries there is a strong sense that government should be “doing more.” Features of history and context are emphasized in the Discussion and Conclusion sections to understand key differences between the sites and other results.

Diffuse pollution associated with the mining sectors in South Africa: a first-order assessment

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.E. Coetser ◽  
R.G.M. Heath ◽  
N. Ndombe
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Diffuse Source ◽  
Levels Of Detail ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Receiving Water

Internationally it has become recognised that diffuse source water pollution from mining activities severely affects the degradation of water quality especially with regards to acidification and metal loading. South Africa is facing major problems with regard to the management and treatment of contaminated mine water. Very little has been published for South Africa about the quantities and qualities of diffuse source water pollution by the mining industry. Furthermore the available information has not yet been compiled into a consolidated overview that presents the total picture. Some of the problems that limit the use of the available information and would necessitate further processing to normalise the data, derive from the fact that the investigations producing the information were done at different times, to different levels of detail and using different approaches. A further complicating factor is that data for some mining commodities may not be available and may necessitate further investigation. The overview of the quantities and qualities of non-point source effluent production by different sectors needs to be interpreted in terms of the effect the effluent can be expected to have on receiving water quality (both surface and groundwater). It would thus be necessary to categorise waste types according to their effect on water quality and synthesise the data to obtain an estimate of the threat that different sectors and sub-sectors pose to receiving water quality.

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