Groundwater Quality Assessment of the Upper Kalumbila Mining Area in North-Western Zambia

Abstract

Mining has been the main economic stay of the country since independence and has triggered negative impacts on the environment and groundwater. It has brought about immerse socioeconomic development, but at the same time released the waste effluents and solid wastes, which threaten the quality of groundwater leading to negative effects on animals, human health and may even cause death. This study assesses the quality of groundwater around Upper Kalumbila mining area in North-western Zambia. This research used a Citizen Science-based mixed methods approach with emphasis on concurrent design. Data for the study was collected using a digital portable multiparameter, which enabled insitu measurement of concentration of selected parameters in real time. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and this included standard deviation and Coefficient of Variation (CV), which were implemented using Excel Spreadsheet Data Analysis Toolkit (ESDAT). Handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) was used for geocoding of groundwater access points. A Student T-test was used to determine how statistically significant the difference in means for 30 paired samples was between the measured Turbidity and the WHO ideal standard for groundwater. The reason for isolating out this parameter was because it was a major source of concern from the water users, and it was visibly above the ideal standard. The study found that almost all chemical parameters were well within Maximum Permissible Limits (MPLs). However, one of the heavy metals, namely, Cobalt was above normal. Turbidity was above WHO’s prescribed ideal standard. From the analysed data, it was concluded that although some isolated parameters were above their MPLs, groundwater around the target areas in the upper part of Kalumbila mining area was moderately safe for human consumption. The study recommends strengthening of community participation and installing filters in the water tanks to mitigate Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and to also carefully monitor heavy metals on a regular basis.