A Preliminary Review of Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment and Pollution Status in Kenya

Abstract

Groundwater represents 95% of the world’s available freshwater. The use of groundwater has significantly increased over the past 50 years and is expected to rise in future due to high vulnerability of the surface water resources to anthropogenic activities and climate change. However, pollution is becoming a major threat to groundwater availability and sustainability. The deteriorating groundwater quality and increasing contaminations from anthropogenic activities poses detrimental risks to human health and ecosystem in many ways, thereby necessitating the need to undertake Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment. The concept of Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment is dated back in the early 1970s and since then applied in many developed countries as an environmental strategy for proper land use planning, decision making and policy formulations in attempt to protect and conserve groundwater from contamination and depletion. In this study, a literature review on groundwater pollution and vulnerability assessment in Kenya is provided. The study revealed poor knowledge and application of the Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment methods in safeguarding groundwater resources against pollution and depletion. The study also brings to limelight the importance of applying Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment in management and protection of groundwater resources in Kenya.