Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/L002108/1
IN-GROUND: Inexpensive monitoring of Groundwater pollution in Urban African Districts
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr S Velasquez Orta, Newcastle University, Chemical Engineering & Advanced Material
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr D Werner, Newcastle University, Sch of Engineering
- Grant held at:
- Newcastle University, Chemical Engineering & Advanced Material
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Environmental sensing
- Organic pollutants
- Waste
- Water waste
- Environmental biotechnology
- Analytical Science
- Assess/Remediate Contamination
- Abstract:
- This study will allow collaboration between researchers in Tanzania and the UK to develop and test an inexpensive biosensor for the on-site, real time, monitoring of urban groundwater quality. The biosensor will be able to detect water pollution emanating from different sources such as pit latrines. The project will focus on monitoring urban areas, as latrine coverage and the related groundwater pollution affects, proportionally, more people than in rural areas. It is estimated that 70% of urban settlements in Tanzania are unplanned. The problems of urban unplanned areas include lack of centralised sewerage and the inaccessibility of emptying services for onsite technologies. This leads to increased groundwater pollution in areas where shallow wells are used. According to the World Health Organization, 70% of diseases in Tanzania are water pollution related costing close to US$ 600 million annually. As such, we estimate that proper monitoring of water pollution can trigger increased and appropriate sanitation and water treatment which could lead to Tanzania meeting their Millennium Development Goals. It is expected that the use of a bio-sensing system will also help collect data on the current state of groundwater as well as increase the awareness of the local population in groundwater contamination.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/L002108/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Directed - International
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- UPGro
This grant award has a total value of £134,860
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | Exception - Other Costs | DA - Investigators | DA - Estate Costs | DI - Staff | DI - T&S | DA - Other Directly Allocated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £10,480 | £18,522 | £74,740 | £8,036 | £374 | £13,770 | £7,936 | £1,002 |
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