Esther Chifuniro Mabedi

Supervisors: Dr. Alistair Geddes, Dr. Sarah Halliday

Groundwater forms the backbone of drinking and domestic-use water service provision in rural Malawi. It provides water for up to 85% of the rural population. However, Management of groundwater involves addressing several difficult challenges, including maintenance of water supply points (typically hand-pumped boreholes) from which it is accessed, and risks of contamination from geogenic and anthropological pollutants. Success in overcoming these challenges has been limited, with the rural population remaining burdened with insecurity in water access and poor health linked to water-related diseases, holding back commitments on achieving SDG 6 by 2030.

Esther’s research will be exploring the use of hydrogeological, geochemistry and geospatial techniques improving how locations of water points are determined in relation to existing and potential future contaminants, quantifying contamination risks from pit latrines and exploring how climate change affects efforts of WASH provision regarding accessibility and sustainability.