Socio-institutional factors are poorly addressed in the risk assessment of groundwater contamination. This paper contributes to the development of a socio-institutional assessment framework based on a case study of contamination by on-site sanitation (OSS) in an informal settlement of Bwaise (Kampala, Uganda). We conducted a snapshot survey of the recent extent of groundwater contamination by OSS using microbial and hydro-chemical indicators. Through transition arenas and key informant interviews, we investigated the socio-institutional drivers of the contamination. Overall, 14 out of the 17 sampled groundwater sources tested positive for Escherichia coli during the wet season. Nitrate concentrations at four sources exceeded the World Health Organization guideline value (50 mg/L), attributed to OSS. Despite the high contamination, the community highly valued groundwater as an alternative to the intermittent municipal water supply. We deduced six drivers of groundwater contamination, including land-use management, user attributes, governance, infrastructure management, groundwater valuation, and the operating environment (“LUGIVE”). Qualitative indicators for each of the drivers were also construed, and their interlinkages presented in a causal loop diagram, representing a socio-institutional assessment framework. The framework can help policymakers and the community to analyze various socio-institutional control levers to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination by OSS in informal settlements.

中文翻译：

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地下水污染危害的社会制度驱动因素：乌干达坎帕拉 Bwaise 非正式定居点的现场卫生案例

在地下水污染的风险评估中，社会制度因素没有得到很好的解决。本文以 Bwaise（乌干达坎帕拉）的非正式定居点现场卫生 (OSS) 污染案例研究为基础，有助于制定社会制度评估框架。我们使用微生物和水化学指标对近期 OSS 对地下水的污染程度进行了快照调查。通过转型领域和关键知情人访谈，我们调查了污染的社会制度驱动因素。总体而言，在 17 个采样的地下水源中，有 14 个被检测为大肠杆菌阳性在雨季。由于 OSS，四个来源的硝酸盐浓度超过了世界卫生组织的指导值 (50 mg/L)。尽管污染严重，社区仍高度重视地下水作为间歇性市政供水的替代品。我们推断了地下水污染的六个驱动因素，包括土地使用管理、用户属性、治理、基础设施管理、地下水估值和运营环境（“LUGIVE”）。还解释了每个驱动因素的定性指标，并在因果循环图中呈现了它们的相互联系，代表了一个社会制度评估框架。该框架可以帮助政策制定者和社区分析各种社会制度控制杠杆，以降低非正规住区中 OSS 污染地下水的风险。