THE IMPACT OF WATER POLLUTION ON POPULATION IN NYRAGONGO TERRITORY

THE IMPACT OF WATER POLLUTION ON POPULATION IN NYRAGONGO TERRITORY ****2.1. Introduction **** Water is one of the most essential resources for human life. We use it for drinking, hygiene, agriculture, and economic activities. However, many people in the world do not have clean, safe water because of pollution and environmental problems. In Nyiragongo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the situation is especially difficult. Volcanoes and ongoing conflict have caused severe disruptions to water supplies for local communities and displaced populations. Many people who live there don't have clean water. They have to use dirty sources of water. This can make them sick with diseases like cholera and dysentery.
Water pollution and scarcity have a big impact on the population in this region. It affects daily life, hygiene, productivity, and overall wellbeing. 2.1 Conceptual Framework 2.1.2. Definition and types of water pollution Water pollution is when something makes water dirty. This can be chemicals, physical things, or living things. It can change the water so that it is not good for anything. It can make it so that people can't drink it, use it for things in their homes, or use it for farming or industry. Water pollution happens when pollutants are put into water bodies without being treated enough to get rid of harmful chemicals. These pollutants can come from natural sources (geogenic) or human activities (anthropogenic). Here are the most important parts of the definition:  Change in the quality of water Changes in physical, chemical, or biological characteristics.  Harmful effects: It has bad effects on people's health, water ecosystems, and money-making activities.  Threshold Exceedance: This is the amount of a substance in a place or liquid that is higher than what is usually found in nature or that is considered safe. For example, the amount of a substance in water that is considered safe according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water. In Nyiragongo, water pollution is mostly caused by natural sources, like volcanic emissions. However, human activity makes things worse. For example, there is not enough sanitation in IDP camps. This introduces biological contaminants.

• Water quality standards (WHO guidelines) The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality (GDWQ) as the international reference point for water safety standards . These guidelines serve as the foundation for national regulations and standards worldwide, promoting the protection of public health by establishing safe limits for biological and chemical contaminants in drinking water . Key principles of WHO guidelines: They are health-based, derived from scientific evidence on human health effects They advocate for preventive risk management from catchment to consumer (Water Safety Plans). They are intended to support the development of locally relevant standards, not as mandatory limits. They address both microbial and chemical hazards that cause waterborne disease

2.2. Volcanic contamination as a natural pollution source 2.2.1. Definition and Conceptual Framework

They address both microbial and chemical hazards that cause waterborne disease 1. Definition and Conceptual Framework Volcanic contamination refers to the introduction of chemical, physical, and mineralogical pollutants into water bodies (surface water, groundwater, and atmospheric water) as a result of volcanic activity, including persistent degassing, eruptions, and hydrothermal processes . Unlike anthropogenic pollution, volcanic contamination is: Geogenic in origin: Derived from natural geological processes Often chronic or intermittent: Persistent degassing creates continuous contamination, while eruptions cause acute pollution events Spatially extensive: Affects areas downwind and downstream of volcanic centers Compositionally complex: Involves multiple contaminants simultaneously Volcanic activity can be an important source of water contamination because, when flows from the volcano reach surface or groundwater bodies, dissolved gases and entrained solid particles can affect water quality, limiting the supply of drinking water for humans and the availability of water for animals: • Mechanisms of Volcanic Water Contamination Volcanic contaminants enter water systems through several distinct pathways: • Atmospheric Deposition (Rainwater Scavenging) This is the primary pathway for Nyiragongo and involves the interaction between volcanic emissions and atmospheric water. Process: Active degassing volcanoes release acid gases and solid particulate into the surrounding environment The volcanic plume contains gases (SO₂, HCl, HF, CO₂, H₂S) and solid particles (ash, aerosols) Rainwater scavenges these emissions as it falls through the plume The chemical composition of rainwater shifts towards the condensable fraction of fumarolic fluids

Key finding for Nyiragongo: • Rainwater collected from the Nyiragongo crater rim has pH values as low as 2.0, high salinity (EC 28-1800 μS/cm), and high contents of F⁻ (up to 193 ppm) and Cl⁻ (up to 270 ppm) . • 2.2 Ash Leaching and Deposition • Volcanic ash contains soluble salts on particle surfaces that rapidly dissolve upon contact with water. Mechanism: • The outer part of ash particles contains acidic compounds and water-soluble salts • When ash falls onto surface water bodies or land, these compounds leach into water • Up to 55 soluble compounds have been detected in ash-contaminated water, including sodium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, and fluoride • Particle morphology matters: Ash particles with higher porosity and greater surface area leach contaminants faster. Research shows that ash samples with higher bubble density have larger surface areas, accelerating metal leaching rates . 2.3 Water-Rock Interaction (Aquifer Contamination) Groundwater flowing through volcanic rocks and hydrothermal systems dissolves minerals and picks up contaminants. Process: CO₂ of magmatic origin dissolves in groundwater, creating carbonic acid Acidic water enhances weathering of volcanic rocks Elements are mobilized from the rock matrix into solution Mixing with hydrothermal fluids ascending through fault zones introduces additional contaminants Evidence from Italy: In the Sabatini and Vicano-Cimino Volcanic Districts, about 60% of cold waters from the volcanic aquifer exceeded maximum allowable concentrations for arsenic, and 25% exceeded for fluoride . 2.4 Direct Input from Lava Flows and Pyroclastic Flows During eruptions, lava flows and pyroclastic materials can directly enter water bodies. Effects: Thermal pollution (heating of water) Physical contamination (turbidity from suspended solids) Chemical contamination (leaching of elements) When lava reaches the coast and contacts seawater, it can produce gaseous clouds composed mainly of water vapor and hydrochloric acid (HCl), a toxic and corrosive gas formed from chloride in seawate

2.3. Negative impacts of contaminated water consumption 2.3.1. Health impacts of contaminated water consumption The consumption of contaminated water in volcanic regions like Nyiragongo leads to a diverse array of health impacts, ranging from chronic conditions caused by long-term exposure to chemical contaminants to acute, life-threatening diseases from biological pathogens. These health burdens are often amplified for vulnerable groups such as children and internally displaced persons (IDPs) . Here is a detailed overview of the health impacts of consuming contaminated water, organized by the type of contaminant. 2.3.2. Health Impacts by Contaminant Type The health consequences can be broadly divided into those caused by chemical pollutants (like fluoride and heavy metals) and those caused by biological pathogens.

1. Chemical Contaminants: Chronic and Long-Term Health Effects Chemical contamination in Nyiragongo is primarily geogenic, originating from volcanic emissions and ash leachates. The health impacts are often chronic, developing after prolonged exposure. The population in Nyiragongo Territory faces a dual health burden from water pollution:
2. Chronic, systemic disease from the long-term ingestion of geogenic chemical contaminants, primarily fluoride (leading to fluorosis) and a cocktail of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) like arsenic, lead, and cadmium, which pose significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks .
3. Acute, life-threatening infectious disease from biological pathogens, with cholera being a constant and deadly threat, particularly for vulnerable and displaced populations living in camps with inadequate sanitation . These risks are cumulative and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society, including children and IDPs, creating a serious and ongoing public health emergency . 2.3.4. Socio-economic impacts (lost time, poverty)

The consumption and use of polluted water in Nyiragongo Territory creates severe socio-economic burdens that trap communities in a cycle of poverty and lost opportunity. These impacts extend far beyond immediate health concerns, affecting every aspect of daily life, economic productivity, and human development. • Lost Time: The Daily Burden of Water Collection The most immediate and visible socio-economic impact is the enormous amount of time residents must spend securing water for their families. This time poverty has cascading effects on education, income generation, and well-being. • Hours Lost to Queues Residents spend up to six hours or more per day waiting in line for water at the few functional points . Florence, an internally displaced person in Bushagara, describes her daily ordeal: "I came here to fetch water at 5 a.m., and it's only now at 11 a.m. that I've finally been served. The line is too long because so many depend on this water point" . Another resident, Neema, shares a similar experience: "I wake up at 6 a.m. to fetch water, but by 11 a.m., I'm still waiting. Soldiers arrive and cut the line, bringing their jerry cans" . • Long Distances Traveled The burden is compounded by the distances people must travel. Some residents walk up to two kilometers searching for clean water . Others travel even farther—people come from as far as 8 kilometers away to access water points in areas like Bushagara . During the 2002 eruption aftermath, some families traveled for more than three hours to collect just one container of untreated water . 2.3.5. Impact on Children and Vulnerable Groups Children are disproportionately affected by water collection burdens:  Children as young as 5 years old help collect water, missing school and childhood  Most of those waiting in long lines are children, exposed to accidents near main roads and highways  Infants suffer alongside their waiting mothers—Florence's baby "hasn't stopped crying" after hours waiting in the heat, becoming "exhausted and so hungry" The time spent collecting water represents time not spent on education, income-generating activities, or caring for family members, perpetuating intergenerational poverty. The Financial Burden: Water Costs and Lost Livelihoods Direct Costs of Purchasing Water 2.4. Benefits of clean water Access to clean water is not merely the absence of disease—it is a fundamental driver of human development, economic prosperity, and social well-being. For a population like Nyiragongo Territory, where water pollution has created a public health and humanitarian crisis, understanding the benefits of clean water provides the rationale for intervention and the vision of what is possible.

2.4.1. Health Benefits Clean water is the foundation of public health. When communities have reliable access to safe drinking water, the health improvements are immediate and measurable. 2.4.1.1 Prevention of Waterborne Diseases Clean water eliminates exposure to the pathogens that cause devastating diseases: Disease Impact of Prevention Cholera Prevents acute dehydrating diarrhea that can kill within hours Diarrheal diseases Reduces the second leading cause of death in children under five Dysentery Eliminates bloody diarrhea caused by Shigella bacteria Typhoid fever Prevents systemic bacterial infection with 10-20% mortality if untreated Guinea worm disease Can be completely eradicated through safe drinking water access The evidence is overwhelming: investing in clean water is one of the most cost-effective and transformative interventions possible. For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is a $4.30 return in reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity . In the words of Florence, waiting with her crying baby: "No water today mean