ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: To obtain relevant information on the quality of water and the aquifer response to contamination, pertinent and wide-range hydrological, geological, hydrogeological, chemical and bacteriological data have been collected and analysed in the Addis Ababa area. The main pollution indicators such as pH, nitrate, ammonia, electrical conductivity, bacterial population, etc. have been constantly monitored for two years at selected water points. Due to random disposal of solid and liquid wastes, the streams and rivers that cross the city are extremely polluted and consequently springs and shallow groundwater systems are affected. The results indicate that the rapid development of urbanization, along with industrial expansion, has deteriorated the natural environmental quality of water bodies in the area in particular and the city of Addis Ababa in general. Groundwater vulnerability mapping using the DRASTIC model indicates that a large proportion of the city lies on a high-risk zone and a limited sector of the city falls in the medium vulnerability category. However, in all cases, the quality of groundwater has deteriorated due to infiltration of pollutants from different human activities.
