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Water quality decline in coastal aquifers under anthropic pressure: the case of a suburban area of Dakar (Senegal)

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Abstract

In recent years, the unregulated increase of the population in coastal areas of developing countries has become source of concern for both water supply and quality control. In the region of Dakar (Senegal), approximately 80% of water resources come from groundwater reservoirs, which are increasingly affected by anthropogenic pressures. The identification of the main sources of pollution, and thus the aquifer vulnerability, is essential to provide a sound basis for the implementation of long-term geochemically based water management plans in this sub-Saharan area. With this aim, a hydrochemical and isotopic survey on 26 wells was performed in the so-called Peninsula of Cap-Vert. Results show that seawater intrusion represents the main process affecting groundwater chemical characteristics. Nitrates often exceed the World Health Organization drinking water limits: stable isotopes of dissolved nitrate (\(\updelta ^{15}\)N and \(\updelta ^{18}\)O) indicate urban sewage and fertilizers as a major source of contamination. Results depict a complex situation in which groundwater is affected by direct and indirect infiltration of effluents, mixing with seawater and freshening processes from below. Besides the relevance of the investigation at a regional level, it represents a basis for decision-making processes in an integrated water resources management and in the planning of similar monitoring strategies for other urban coastal regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università Cà Foscari, Calle Larga Santa Marta- Dorsoduro 2137, 30123, Venezia, Italy

    Viviana Re

  2. Département de Géologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheich Anta Diop, B.P. 5005, Dakar-Fann, Senegal

    Seynabou Cissé Faye, Abdoulaye Faye, Serigne Faye & Cheikh Becaye Gaye

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia, 27100, Italy

    Elisa Sacchi

  4. CNR-IGG, Sezione di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Elisa Sacchi

  5. Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria CNR, Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, Via Salaria Km 29,300, C.P. 10-00015, Monterotondo, Italy

    Gian Maria Zuppi

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  1. Viviana Re
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  2. Seynabou Cissé Faye
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  3. Abdoulaye Faye
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Re, V., Cissé Faye, S., Faye, A. et al. Water quality decline in coastal aquifers under anthropic pressure: the case of a suburban area of Dakar (Senegal). Environ Monit Assess 172, 605–622 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1359-x

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