Assessment of Surface Water Quality in Kakanda: Detection of Pollution from Mining Activities

Abstract

The study focuses on the assessment of the surface water quality of the mining city of Kakanda (Lualaba Province in the DRC) to highlight pollution from mining activity. In addition to literature research, the identification of mining activities and the location of rivers and streams, the methodology adopted consisted in analyzing the water upstream and downstream of different discharge points of final effluents. The choice of parameters was made according to the Congolese legislation on this subject. Field observations indicated that liquid effluents from mining plants are discharged into the natural environment through drains. Chemical analyses have shown that the waters of these drains are loaded with metals at concentrations tens of times higher than standards. The results of the physicochemical analyses also indicated a deterioration of the quality of the water downstream of the discharge points. The level of suspended solids reaches 182 mg/l for an acceptable level of 80 mg/l. The concentration of cobalt and manganese in the streams receiving the final effluents reaches, respectively, 0.659 mg/l and 1.709 mg/l for an acceptable threshold of 0.5 mg/l. The electrical conductivity, the chemical composition as well as the other parameters exploited have revealed pollution of mining origin.