TITLE:
Key Issues for Water Quality Monitoring in the Zambezi River Basin in Mozambique in the Context of Mining Development
AUTHORS:
Clemêncio M. Carlos Nhantumbo, Rolf Larsson, Dinis Juízo, Magnus Larson
KEYWORDS:
Zambezi River Basin, Coal Mining, Water Quality Monitoring, ARA-Zambeze
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.7 No.5,
March
27,
2015
ABSTRACT: Zambezi
River Basin is located in Southern Africa. It is essential for the
economy of its eight riparian countries. The delta and almost 11% of its total
catchment area are located in Mozambique. The main stream of the river receives
a run-off contribution of 1800 m3/s in Mozambique and reaches the
ocean with a flow of about 4100 m3/s. Coal mining is developing fast
in the Zambezi River Basin in Mozambique due to favourable geological
conditions. The coal mining and other activities have an impact on the surface
and groundwater quality of the river basin. ARA-Zambeze is the river basin organization
responsible for the water quality monitoring in Zambezi River Basin in
Mozambique. In spite of limited resources ARA-Zambeze performs surveillance monitoring,
while the institutions influencing the water quality of the river are doing operational
monitoring. In this paper a monitoring system for the Zambezi River Basin in
Mozambique is proposed. The system includes two alternative monitoring
procedures. One procedure considers improvement of the current situation, which
is characterized by multiple actors doing monitoring in isolation, by
standardizing the analytical methods and improving data sharing through a
web-based reporting system. The other proposed monitoring procedure considers a
centralized approach, by having a consulting company doing the monitoring for
the whole river basin in Mozambique. The second option has the advantages of
improving consistency and comparability of the data, thereby allowing for more
accurate trend analyses. It is concluded that the best way forward is to
implement the first procedure and slowly move to the second.