ABSTRACT
This section deals with the identification of pollution sources and the vulnerability assessment of the aquifers supplying African cities or urban centers. The bulk of the contributions originate from a UNEP and UNESCO project ‘Assessment of Pollution Status and Vulnerability of Water Supply Aquifers of African Cities’. The emphasis in these papers varies and the approach to addressing the problem is unique to each country. The contribution made by these papers lies in the first-hand knowledge dissemination of conditions in many of the continent’s urban areas. It is encouraging and notable that these efforts represent the addressing of African issues by the people of Africa. Groundwater vulnerability, and the factors contributing to it, provides a window through which African hydrogeology and the acute problems arising from rapid urban development can be appreciated. The wide diversity of geological conditions from fractured hard rock (e.g. Addis Ababa, Ouagadougou and parts of Bamako and Niamey) karstic marbles and dolomite (Lusaka) and primary aquifers indicate a wide array of conditions; despite this the issues highlighted are relatively consistent. It is sincerely hoped that the results presented here will play a meaningful role in raising awareness at managerial level and trigger the political will for action.
