The development of a protocol to manage the potential of groundwater contamination from on-site sanitation

The provision of water supply and sanitation services to the developing and water scarce areas of South Africa is one of the goals of the Reconstruction and Development Programme. One of the principles of the South African National Sanitation Policy stipulates that sanitation systems which have unacceptable impacts on the environment cannot be considered to be an adequate form of sanitation. The greatest contamination concern with respect to ventilated improved pit toilets is in relation to groundwater resources. To this end the National Sanitation Co-ordination Office (NaSCO) and the Directorate of Geohydrology of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry have developed "A Protocol to Manage the Potential of Groundwater Contamination from On-Site Sanitation". The aim of the protocol is to ensure that reasonable measures are taken to guard against contamination of valuable groundwater resources by inappropriately located or designed sanitation systems. The protocol focuses on dry on-site sanitation systems and provides a brief background to the current understanding of groundwater contamination by on-site sanitation systems. It also presents a procedure to be followed by those involved in implementing new, or upgrading old systems--the procedure allows the field worker to assess whether groundwater resources may be at risk of pollution. The protocol is specifically aimed at engineering and technical staff who are not groundwater specialists.