1 / 20

A Russel C.G. Chidya ( MSc ) Prof Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu Ass Prof Samson S.M.I Sajidu

Examining the potential of using spring waters for domestic and irrigation farming activities: Case study of Liwonde, Malawi. AMCOW. A Russel C.G. Chidya ( MSc ) Prof Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu Ass Prof Samson S.M.I Sajidu A Corresponding author: E-mail: russelchidya@gmail.com

cate
Télécharger la présentation

A Russel C.G. Chidya ( MSc ) Prof Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu Ass Prof Samson S.M.I Sajidu

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Examining the potential of using spring waters for domestic and irrigation farming activities: Case study of Liwonde, Malawi. AMCOW A Russel C.G. Chidya (MSc) Prof Wapulumuka O. Mulwafu Ass Prof Samson S.M.I Sajidu ACorresponding author: E-mail: russelchidya@gmail.com University of Malawi – Chancellor College Date: 31st Oct – 2nd Nov 2012 13th WaterNet/WARSFSA/GWP-SA International Symposium on IWRM NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  2. Presentation Outline • Introduction & Literature Review • Aim and Objectives • Methods and Materials • Results & Discussion • Conclusion & Recommendations • Acknowledgements NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  3. 1. Introduction & Literature review • Water is a finite natural resource essential for the well being of mankind (GWP, 2010). • Important water sources: • surface water i.e. springs, streams and rivers ponds, lakes &seas. • ground water i.e.: located in aquifers – related to wells, boreholes &springs • In Malawi, existence of rivers, springs, L. Malawi, L. Chilwa and other smaller lakes provide fresh water resources. • However, climate variability, poor agricultural practices, poor waste disposal, poor water use and poor management of catchment areas etc pose daunting challenges which could result in quality & access to water resources being strained in the near future (Kass et al, 2005; GWP, 2010). NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  4. Intr‘d cont.../... • Springs are an important source of water for various purposes i.e. domestic, irrigation, & fishing (Spechler &Schiffer, 1995; WHO, 2008). • Previous studies by UNEP & GPF showed that Liwonde is one the areas in Malawi that have both hot and cold spring water sources. • However, there is no established data on the exact location & capacity of these springs. No attempt has been made to assess the socio-economic use, management & governance systems of these springs. • Further, no data is available on the physico-chemical characteristics of the spring waters and their implications for domestic and irrigation use. NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  5. 2. Aim & specific objectives • Main Aim: • To examine the potential of using cold and hot spring waters for domestic and irrigation farming activities in Liwonde, Malawi. • Specific Objectives • To assess the socio-economic use and governance systems of spring water resources. • To study the physico-chemical characteristics of spring water resources and their implications for domestic and irrigation use. • To examine the water discharge and capacity of springs to support large-scale domestic and irrigational farming activities. NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  6. 3. Methods & Materials • 3.1 Description of the study area – Liwonde • Situated in Southern Malawi & lies at 470 – 531 m above sea level. • experiences tropical climate, &receives a relatively low rainfall. • Is one of the hottest areas (mean max T of 39 °C). • Lies in Shire R plain & is partly surrounded by Mts. To Lilongwe SW1 Mts Liwonde Township SW3 SW10 SW11 SW4 SW2 SW12 N SW6 SW5 SW7 SW8 SHIRE RIVER SW9 From Blantyre Fig 1A: Map of Africa & Malawi showing location of Study Area Fig 1B: Location of sampling sites

  7. 3.2 Water sample collection • 13 Hot & cold springs were identified, most connected to boreholes. • Water samples collected in triplicate using 0.5 L cleaned plastic bottles;transported &preserved in accordance with std methods (APHA, 1998; WII, 2008). Spring water flow thru borehole Borehole Aquifer system Fig 3: A hot spring in Liwonde Fig 2: Schematic diagram of a borehole connected to a spring NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  8. 3.3 Physico-chemical & discharge analyses Table 1: Water Quality parameters & analytical methods used NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  9. 3.4 Irrigational water quality indices • The following equations were used to determine: SAR, %Na, MHR, & RSC(Bauder et al., 2008): - - - - - - - - - - [1] - - - - - - - - - - [2] - - - - - - - - - - [3] - - - - - - - - - - [4] NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  10. 3.5 Socio-economic data collection • The socio-economic activities making use of springs in the study area investigated thru: • Field visits, • Observations, • key informant interviews • literature review • 3.6 Statistical Analysis • Social-economic data evaluated by repeated reading &content analysis. • Water quality &discharge data analysed by Microsoft Excel (Windows 2007) to compute means, standard deviations & Pearson Correlation C (2-tailed at 95%) NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  11. 4. Results & Discussion 4.1 The socio-economic activities and spring water management • 12 cold & hot springs identified& most (75%, n=12) wereassociated with boreholes. B A C Fig 4 (A, B, C): Pictures showing spring flow through boreholes in Liwonde. (Photos: Russel Chidya) NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  12. Results & Discussion cont‘d • Preliminary results revealed that spring waters in the area are used for: • domestic purposes. i.e. washing, bathing, cooking & drinking. • small-scale subsistence &commercial farming (vegetables, rice, sugarcane, & maize). • moulding of bricks, • fish ponds Fig 5: Pictures showing multiple uses of spring waters. (Photos: Russel Chidya)

  13. Fig 6: Photos showing multiple use of springs waters. (photos: R Chidya) • Watering of nursery & tree seedlings • Growing of vegetables NEPAD SANWATCE

  14. Results & Discussion cont‘d • Major problems observed • ANY POSSIBLE INTERVENTION? • Integrated approach in spring water usage and management, hence IWRM i.e. to address: • Hygiene & Sanitation • Water quality & quantity • Access to water Poor management Congestion (>300 households) Poor Sanitation (photo by Russel Chidya) Lack of maintenance NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  15. 4.2 Physico-chemical characteristics WHO limit (6.5 – 8.5) • Spring waters slightly basic; • pH range 7.7 – 9.1 • Most sites (67%, n=12) registered pH > upper WHO (2008) limit, hence deemed not suitable for consumption • Both EC &TDS were within MBS (2005) limit (EC 700 – 1500 (µS/cm). • However, springs near Shire R showed slightly higher EC & TDS, hence depict high ionisation and dissolution of minerals. NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  16. 4.2 Physico-chemical characteristics ... cont’d Table 2: Results on physico-chemical characteristics of the spring water T: water temperature. Nd: not determined. bdl: below detection level. MBS: Malawi Bureau of standards. WHO: World Health Organisation. NA: not available. Nh: not of health concern at levels found in drinking water. *taste threshold value NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  17. Results & Discussion – cont‘d • Based on WHO (2008) hardness classification, all samples registered ‘soft class’ (0-70 mg/L CaCO3). • SO42-, Cl-, Mg, Ca, Na, Cu, & Mn were below WHO (2008) limits at all sites, hence water generally safe for domestic use. However, due to presence of Cd & relatively high levels of Na at some sites, further water quality studies needed to justify this claim. • Suitability of water for irrigation: • Based on SAR, 4 sites fell under excellent ‘S1class’ (0-10); 2 sites registered ‘good’ (SAR 10-18), 1 site doubtful (SAR 18-26) and 5 sites ‘unsuitable classes’ (SAR>26). • But, based on RSC & %Na by Bauder et al., (2008) all sites were unsuitable for irrigation due to elevated CO32-, HCO3-and Na+ ions that tend to affect irrigable soil properties. NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  18. 5. Conclusion This study has shown that the springs have both socio-economic value and capacity to support large-scale farming & domestic use. However, major challenges faced include poor sanitation, governance & management systems. Further, water quality analyses indicated that some springs are of poor quality. RECOMMENDATIONS & FURTHER STUDIES Integrated approaches (i.e. IWRM) are needed for sustainable use, governance &proper management of the springs. Further studies are needed on hydrology and aquifer systems of the area, microbiological tests & human health; & soil analysis for sustainable farming. NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  19. 6. Acknowledgements Authors would like to express their sincerely gratitude to the following: • NEPAD SANWATCE– for sponsorship towards the student’s expenses to attend the conference. • SADC WaterNet-Malawi Chapter for partially sponsoring the research study. • 13th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Secretariat for accepting our abstract & manuscript • Department of Chemistry – Chancellor College (University of Malawi) – for provision of lab space NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

  20. THE END THANK YOU!! ZIKOMO “Let there be work, bread, water & salt for all” -Nelson Mandela- (Adapted from: Water, Energy & Development 2012 by ESKOM) NEPAD SANWATCE www.nepadwatercoe.org

More Related