Shallow groundwater poses pollution problem for Africa

SciDev.Net: The underground water in many densely populated regions is vulnerable to pollutants, reveals study

The groundwater in many of Africa's most crowded regions lies close to the surface, making it vulnerable to pollution, a study shows.

Regions along the Gulf of Guinea are at high risk of groundwater pollution on the continent, according to a map drawn by researchers at the Universiti(C) Catholique de Louvain's Earth and Life Institute in Belgium. Much of Central Africa and some coastal lands in northwest Africa are also vulnerable.