Assessing the susceptibility of the quality of surface water to pollution using GIS and WQI.

Abstract

Surface water is addressed as one of the most essential natural resources that preserve life for eco- sustainability. Most human activities are run by water such as agriculture, industry, recreation, navigation, fisheries, cooking bathing, washing, drinking, etc. (Raikar and Sneha, 2012). The United Nations convention recognizes access to safe drinking water as a universal human right. (WHO, 2011). However, In Africa, this human right of access to water and sanitation services remains a dream. In the year 2000, roughly 36% of the population lacked access to safe drinking water, and approximately 40% lacked access to sanitary facilities (WHO, 2001). These discrepancies were even more pronounced in rural areas where 50% of the people lacked eased access to safe water, compared to 14% in urban areas. In Uganda around the year 2017, the proportion of the population with access to surface water gradually decreased from 12.6 % to 6.7 % (Available at: https://knoema.com/atlas/Uganda/topics/Water/Water-Supply-Total- Population/Proportion-of-population-with-surface-water)