APPRAISAL OF MULTI-COUNTRY GROUNDWATER ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTION PROJECTS IN AFRICA
The evaluation was focused on aspects such as attainment of objectives, achievement of outputs and activities, cost-effectiveness, impact, sustainability of the actions, participation of stakeholders and implementation. This synthesis of the different projects highlighted several important findings for the protection of groundwater quality in Africa's urban areas. These include ways of successful knowledge dissemination though multiple stakeholder involvement, considerations of capacity building initiatives and the alignment of such projects with national and regional thrusts, training considerations and ways forward for groundwater management.
The latter include early warning systems, raising awareness of communities, technical personnel and regulators and decision makers, with several examples of success stories in different countries obtained from the consideration of the eleven projects. Challenges in technical proficiency, regulations and legislation throughout the continent have similar causes and solutions, while the greatest challenge in each country was found to be implementation rather than legislation.
Throughout Africa the causes of urban groundwater quality degradation from onsite sanitation and informal waste disposal yielded similar results in terms of chemical and microbial contaminants. The need for implementing groundwater protection as part of wider management issues can be clearly shown by the eleven cases presented in this project. The experiences in South African cases can be highlighted to show that these are issues that need addressing throughout the continent and the developing world.